Gryphon's Blood
by marinefan123
Summary: We all know the tales of Eragon, the dragons, and battle for Alagaesia.  But what if gryphons existed in the Inheritance world?  This is the tale of Fletcher, a young gryphon and his adventures across the Inheritance world.  Rated for blood/violence
1. Young Hearts

Author's note: Ok, I've been dying to write Fletcher's story for a long time. He's been in three of my other fics so far and I've been having a lot of fun with this character. I know there are no gryphons in the Inheritance books (though there should have been) but since the series only takes place in Alagaesia, who is to say they don't exist in other parts of the Inheritance world? Seriously, as much as I love dragons, they're just so overrated. I mean, look how many books, games and movies there are about dragons! Gryphons are underrated and need more love! I mean, they hardly ever get mentioned in any mainstream productions and when they are, they're usually bad guys! The only times I've ever seen gryphons portrayed as good guys was in Alice in Wonderland, which I never actually read, and in the Narnia movies where they only had a very small role (and gryphons weren't in the books at all). Ok, I'm done ranting now…

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Chapter 1: Young Hearts

Hundreds of years had passed since the fall of the Empire and the death of Galbatorix at the hands of Eragon Bromson. The Dragon Riders flourished once again and peace had spread across the world. But all this meant little to those who lived beyond Alagaesia's borders. In the land of Danthuania, far to the south of Alagaesia, gryphons roamed the continent from coast to coast. Half eagle and half lion, these mysterious beasts were proud and noble but less fearsome and savage than the dragons of Alagaesia. Though they shared the land with humans, gryphons were the dominant race here.

The pudgy gryphon hatchlings bounded toward the entrance of the cave, trilling excitedly as they stepped into the sunlight for the first time in their lives. Their watchful mother accompanied them. The little hatchlings were almost identical to one another, covered in grey downy feathers and short tawny fur with black spots. The little hatchlings had spent the first few weeks of their lives confined to the small cave that their family called home. Now they were ready to see the outside world for the first time.

One of the hatchlings scurried around his mother's feet twittering with excitement. "Careful now, Fletcher." Elees chided the rambunctious gryphonling. Like all gryphons, her head, front legs, and wings were like those of a mighty eagle while her back end, hind legs, and tail were like those of a great lion. However, instead of having a tuft of hair on the end of her tail, she had an elegant fan of feathers. Her feathers were a light brown color while her fur was a dark shade of tan. Her eyes were a piercing shade of bright orange. She was a very beautiful and majestic creature. Elees led her hatchlings out of the cave and onto a ledge overlooking a lush green valley surrounded by lofty mountains.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" the mother whispered to her sons, nuzzling them both gently with her curved beak. The chick called Fletcher curled up by his mother's feet while his twin brother, Tas, moved closer to the edge, spreading his wings as if he were ready to fly.

"Not so fast, little one!" Elees scolded firmly, picking him up by the nape of the neck and carrying him away from the edge of the cliff, placing him down beside Fletcher.

Tas let out a disappointed squawk as his mother set him down.

The hatchlings were not yet old enough to talk, nor could they communicate telepathically yet. Unlike many other creatures such as dragons, gryphons possessed the ability to speak the language of the two-leggeds. Though they rarely spoke to humans or other two-leggeds, the gryphons preferred using their language because it was more complex than their own simple, primitive language. It was also not uncommon for gryphons to bestow human names upon their offspring as was the case of these two hatchlings.

Presently the mother gryphon looked up into the sky at the sound of flapping wings overhead. A male gryphon carrying a dead goat in his talons circled once overhead before landing gently on the ledge next to the mother and hatchlings. He was a handsome creature who stood proud and tall, but there was a gently warmth in about him too. The coloration of his fur and feathers was similar to his mate's only darker. His eyes were a gentle shade of golden-amber.

The male gryphon laid the goat down tore off two strips of meat, holding them in his beak for the hatchlings. The two hatchlings eagerly scampered over to their father and devoured the meat hungrily.

"It is hard to believe that someday they will be grown like us, eh Windstrider?" Elees said to her mate, nuzzling his shoulder.

Windstrider nodded his head. "Yes, and then they'll set out on their own and we'll never hear from them again. We had best enjoy it while we can." There was sadness in his voice as he spoke those words.

As time went on, the hatchlings grew into adolescents. Gone was their fluffy grey downy feathers and black cub spots. They now had dark brown feathers and tawny fur like their parents. Like their parents, they had long feathers on the tips of their lion-like tails that aided them in flight. They were proud and noble creatures but they were still young and playful. Fletcher was the dominant of the two brothers, always taking Tas on adventures with him and getting them into trouble. The two brothers were almost inseparable, spending every hour together. One day the two gryphons were soaring through the sky together, exploring new places they had never been before. It was a warm sunny day with blue skies and puffy white cumulus clouds as far as they eye could see.

Fletcher flew with his front legs tucked against his chest and his hind legs trailing behind him as he flew along. His pointy feline-like ears suddenly perked up as he heard music being played somewhere.

_Do you hear that, Tas?_ He said telepathically to his brother.

_I sure do! I wonder where it's coming from. _his brother answered.

_Let's find out!_Fletcher said with a mischievous gleam in his golden-amber eyes.

The young gryphon banked sharply to the left, flying toward the north. His brother followed him as they followed the sound along a winding river. Fletcher landed on a ridge and his beak fell open in awe at what he saw below. There stood a great city right next to the ocean. Though they had heard stories about them, neither of the gryphons had ever seen a human settlement before, nor had they ever seen the ocean. The city seemed to span for miles and included high towers, smoking chimneys, and a busy sea port.

"The sound is coming from down there!" Tas declared, watching what appeared to be a festival in the streets below.

"Let's go see what they're doing!" Fletcher exclaimed excitedly, spreading his wings and launching himself into the air. Always the adventurer, Fletcher was curious about these strange people. He had heard of the strange, two-legged beings called humans but he had never seen any before. His parents had warned him that the creatures were dangerous but like any child, the young gryphon let his curiosity get the better of him.

"I'm not sure we should go there, Fletcher." Tas said worriedly.

"Surely you are not afraid!" Fletcher chirped tauntingly.

"Of course not, but mother and father will be angry! They told us to stay away from the humans!"

"We're just having a look around, Tas. It's not like we are going to let them see us or anything." Fletcher replied.

He flew low over the city streets, taking in all the strange sights, sounds, and smells around him. He flared his wings and landed silently on a rooftop overlooking the festival. Tas landed beside him, gazing at the people with curiosity.

"Fletcher, look at that!" Tas whispered excitedly.

Fletcher looked in the direction his brother indicated and saw a massive, four-legged reptilian creature with long wings, glittering green scales, and a long, snake-like tail. The young gryphons knew exactly what it was. Everyone had heard the tales of the great dragons from across the sea, and the mighty warriors who rode on their backs. Sure enough, this dragon wore a saddle.

Tas looked at his brother, the corners of his beak drawing up into an unmistakable grin. "I told you they were real!"

"I never said they weren't real!" retorted Fletcher indignantly.

"Let's go talk to it!" Tas exclaimed excitedly.

"Now, did you not just bicker at me for wanting to come down here? And now you want us to reveal ourselves?" Fletcher scolded his brother.

"But the Dragon Riders are different! Father says they are our friends!"

Without even waiting for his brother, Tas leaped off the roof and spread his wings, gliding toward the street below. Fletcher rolled his eyes and flew down after him.

"Fool…" he muttered. The two gryphons landed on the cobblestone street, amidst a crowd of festival goers, drawing a gasp from the crowd at the sudden appearance of the strange creatures.

_These are the creatures that our parents said are so dangerous?_ Fletcher thought to himself as he looked around at the nervous humans. They had no claws, beaks, or other weapons on their bodies and they actually seemed scared of the gryphons. It puzzled him because Fletcher never considered himself to be very scary. Being an adolescent gryphonling, he was no bigger than a large dog, as opposed to a fully grown gryphon which could grow to be larger than a horse. Tas began walking toward the dragon, the onlookers scrambling out of his way. His brother followed. As they approached the dragon, a man who was standing next to the dragon turned and looked at them. This man was different than the others. He was shorter than the humans around him and had pale skin, raven black hair, sharp facial features, and pointy ears. He eyes that were as blue as the sky overhead. On his belt was a great sword which matched the green scales of the dragon next to him. The man smiled and walked up to the gryphonlings.

"Settle, down, people! Go about your business!" the elf shouted to the frightened onlookers.

"Hello there, young ones." He said kindly, looking down at the gryphonlings.

Fletcher spoke first, dipping his head respectfully. "Hello, sir. My name is Fletcher and this is my brother, Tas. We just wanted to get a closer look at your dragon."

The elf nodded. "My name is Arion and my dragon is called Cadius. We hail from across the sea from a land called Alagaesia."

Both gryphonlings looked up at the Rider in awe. "Our parents told us the stories about your kind but we have never seen a real Dragon before!" Tas exclaimed.

"Arion?" Fletcher asked the Dragon Rider. "Why do the humans fear us?"

Arion knelt down and replied, "Well, humans have this odd tendency to fear that which they do not understand. Some of them think that you are not a person unless you look like them and think like them. Gryphons are a great mystery to many people. There are no gryphons in Alagaesia and most people there do not even know you exist. The only reason we Riders know of your kind is because we have explored all over the world."

The gryphons sat and listened intently as Arion told them tales of the Dragon Riders of the old order before The Fall. Finally, as the sun hung low in the sky, the elf stood up and said, "Your parents are probably going to start wondering where you are."

Fletcher and Tas did not want to leave but they knew he was right.

"Cadius and I could give you a ride home if you wish." Arion offered.

_It is an awful long way back home, Fletcher. _Tas said to his brother telepathically.

Fletcher nodded. He knew their father would be angry if they were out past dark so he accepted Arion's offer. Cadius knelt down and the two young gryphons climbed onto his back, seating themselves right behind the saddle. Arion took his seat in the saddle and the great dragon spread his wings.

_I suggest you hold on to something, younglings._ Cadius warned. Fletcher and Tas wrapped their talons around one of the dragon's back spikes and held on for dear life. The dragon propelled himself into the air and flew away from the city with breathtaking speed. Fletcher instructed Cadius where to fly. They soared over the snowcapped mountains and high above the thick forests of their valley home. Finally, when they were almost close enough to see where their cave was, Fletcher said to the Rider, "Thank you, sir. It was nice meeting you."

He jumped from the dragon's back, spreading his wings and feeling the wind passing over his feathers as he glided toward home. Tas was right behind them.

"May the stars watch over you, young ones!" Arion shouted after them.

Their cave was located high up the side of a rocky hill. Fletcher landed on the rocky ledge outside the cave first, immediately followed by Tas. The instant they stepped into the cave, their mother confronted him.

"Where have you two been?" she demanded. She sniffed their feathers. "I smell the scent of a dragon on you!"

"Well, we met a Dragon Rider today." Tas explained, conveniently leaving off the part about them venturing into a human city.

"Yes, he told us about the Dragon Riders and gave us a ride home." Fletcher added.

"I see." Their mother said in a tone that said she knew exactly what they had been up to.

Both gryphonlings hung their heads shamefully, knowing they could not fool their mother.

The stern look on Elees's face vanished and was replace by a warm smile.

"Come here, Fletcher." She chuckled, grabbing her son in her talons. She sat down on her haunches and began to preen his feathers and fur despite the gryphonling's protests, removing the dragon scent from his body.

Tas didn't understand why she was preening his brother's feathers. Both he and Fletcher had been grooming themselves for a while now. He found it funny the way Fletcher struggled and squirmed against his mother's attempt to bathe him. As soon as she was done with Fletcher though, she gave Tas the same treatment, cleaning his feathers and fur until no scent remained.

"Now if you two promise to behave yourselves, I might not tell your father what you two were up to."

"Yes, mother." Both siblings said at the same time.

"I saw you riding on that dragon from in here. Now, I do not want either of you going near that city again. You were safe because there was a Dragon Rider there but that will not always be the case. Remember, humans can't be trusted."

"Yes, mother." The two brothers said again.

The mother gryphon suddenly winced in pain, placing one of her front paws against her stomach.  
>Fletcher cocked his head and asked worriedly, "Is something wrong, Mother?"<p>

"I'm fine, son." She said with barely a whisper.

The three gryphons turned and looked back at the entrance of the cave when they heard the sound of flapping wings approaching. Windstrider had returned with a deer for his family. He looked down at his children as if he knew they had been into mischief but he didn't say a word. He looked at his mate.

_What did they do this time, Elees?_he asked suspiciously.

_They just behaved like young gryphons normally do, flying about getting into mischief. Nothing serious._ She replied innocently.

Windstrider laid the deer down and beckoned for Fletcher and Tas to eat.

As the two gryphonlings ate their meal, Elees stood up and nuzzled her mate's shoulder.

_The egg will be coming soon. I think there is only one egg. The pain is not as strong as it was last time I was pregnant. _ She said to her mate with a ragged breath.

Windstrider nuzzled her behind the ear and said comfortingly, _Do not worry, my love. It will be just like last time._

Elees hummed happily as her mate comforted her. As soon as Fletcher and Tas had eaten their fill, their parents finished off what was left. The sun had gone down and the sounds of the night could be heard outside. Elees curled up on the floor of the cave with her two sons tucked under one wing. Windstrider laid down beside her and laid his head across her neck.

_Sleep well, my angel._ He said to Elees. Soon all was quiet.

To be continued…


	2. Grown Up

Chapter 2: Grown Up

Elees sat on the floor of the cave preening he newborn hatchling's plumage. As she had expected, she had laid only a single egg which hatched a few days later. The newborn hatchling was a little female. Fletcher and Tas move din closer to get a better look at their new sibling. Like all hatchlings, she had grey downy feathers and yellow fur with black cub spots. Her eyes were a bright shade of orange.

Elees finished grooming the little hatchling and beckoned her mate to bring a small piece of meat over. Windstrider quickly hurried over with food for the hatchling. After feeding the tiny gryphonling, Windstrider stood there looking at his daughter with pride.

"What shall we name her?" he asked.

Elees paused, thinking it over. She had come up with several possible names before the egg hatched and now that she knew they had a girl, she began mulling over the possibilities in her head. Finally she came up with a name she liked.

"Let's name her Mirriana. We can call her Mir for short." Elees suggested.

Windstrider gave a nod of approval.

As another year went by, Mirriana grew from a pudgy hatchling into a juvenile nestling. Though she was not big enough to fly, she had begun to learn how to talk. Her downy plumage and cub spots had gone and she now had dark brown feathers, darker than either of her brothers, but her fur was much lighter than theirs, like her mother. She still had the pudgy appearance, stubby beak, and short feathers of a hatchling though. Fletcher had became attached to his new sibling almost immediately. Mirriana seemed to idolize him and always wanted to be with him. Fletcher, meanwhile, had grown into a handsome adult. Soon he would head out on his own in search of a mate and start his own family. He was sleek and muscular with long elegant feathers, and long sharp talons and hind claws. He still had the same gentle eyes he had as a gryphonling though. Fletcher had begun to spend great deals of time with Mirriana and he suspected Tas had become jealous. Still, the young gryphon was at the stage in his life that he no longer took interest in childish games. He missed the old days of playing with his brother but those days were over and he was an adult now. He played with Mirriana because she looked to him as a role model. One warm summer afternoon, Fletcher found himself lounging on the forest floor beneath the shade of the trees. The gryphon was lying on his back, his wings spread out beside him. Mirriana sat curled up on his chest, looking at him with those bright orange eyes. Fletcher twirled one of his talons over her head and hummed affectionately as she batted at it.

"I love you, Fletch!" Mirriana said. "Fletch" was her nickname for him. She was always so innocent and carefree. Fletcher remembered a time when he was like that and sometimes he missed those days.

Fletcher let out a warm chuckle. "And I love you too, Mir." He nuzzled her cheek with the tip of his beak. He heard the clicking sound of talons on the ground and turned his head to see his brother standing over him.

"Why don't you ever spend time with me anymore?" Tas asked. "All you ever do is spend time with her now!"

Fletcher sighed. He didn't understand why his brother was so jealous.

"Tas, we are no longer hatchlings. We have to help care for our sister just as our parents do." Fletcher explained. He did not want to have this argument right in front of his baby sister.

"Mir, why don't you run along home? Tas and I need to talk."

"Can play later then, Fletch?"

"Yes, we can play later, Mir." He promised.

Fletcher watched as the nestling scurried back toward the cave.

"Tas, I know you miss the old days but those days are over. We are grown adults now. Soon it will be time for us to strike out on our own."

"I just feel so alone now." Tas said hanging his head sadly.

"Tas, I will always be here for you as I always have been before." Fletcher said reassuringly to his brother. "I just want to spend as much time with my sister as I can before then."

Tas sighed. He knew Fletcher was right but he still couldn't help shake the feeling of loneliness he felt since his brother never spent time with him anymore.

Fletcher suddenly had an idea. "Perhaps you and I can go hunting together." He suggested.

Tas's expression changed and he smiled at his brother.

"I take that as a 'yes' then." Fletcher said. He spread his wings and launched himself into the air climbing to just above the tree tops. Tas joined him.

_What do you think we will find?_Tas asked his brother mentally.

_A deer I hope. Between you and me I doubt a goat would be enough to fill us up._ Fletcher answered, scanning the land below with his keen eyes. They flew onward in search of prey for about half an hour. Few animals were active this time of the day but there was bound to be something out somewhere. Finally Fletcher spotted something; a lone doe in a forest clearing ahead. Tas saw it too. Fletcher climbed higher into the air and leveled out, silently gliding over the deer. The gryphon rolled over and went into a steep dive, homing in on his target like a guided missile. Tas followed suit. Just before reaching the deer, Fletcher leveled out and landed next to where the deer was standing. Spooked by the sudden appearance of the predator, the animal bolted madly toward the woods.

Tas screeched angrily and hissed _What did you do that for? You could have had it?_

_I know, but this makes the chase more interesting!_ Fletcher answered, taking off after his brother. Tas chased the doe from the air, easily matching its speed. He angled himself downward and grabbed the deer with his front talons, wrestling it to the ground. Tas was careful to avoid its kicking legs and as he clamped his beak shut on the deer's throat, breaking its neck and killing it instantly. Fletcher touched down and folded his wings, eyeing the deer hungrily.

Tas puffed his chest and flapped his wings in protest. "I caught it so I'm going to be the first one to eat!" he said sternly.

Tas ate quickly until he was full and then stood aside, leaving the rest for his brother to finish up.

Fletcher gladly ate his fill. When he could eat no more, Fletcher took off into the blue sky, heading for home.

That night, the young gryphon approached his parents as they sat watching the stars.

"Mother? Father? We need to talk."

Windstrider and Elees turned their attention to their son.

"I think the time has come for me to head out on my own." Fletcher said flatly.

Windstrider and Elees looked at one another solemnly. They both knew this day would come sooner or later.

Elees said telepathically to her mate _It is time then._

Windstrider nodded to her and stood up and walked up to his son, a look of both sadness and pride in his eyes. His son had grown up…

"Fletcher…" he said in the quietest tone the young gryphon had ever heard his father speak. "Your mother and I are so proud of you. It makes me sad to see you leave but at the same time we are happy to see you complete your journey to adulthood."

Elees joined her mate and said to her son, "We will always love you, Fletcher."

Elees went walked to the back of the cave, leaving Fletcher and his father alone. Windstrider sat down on his haunches at the entrance of the cave and curled his tail around his feet. Fletcher followed suit, sitting next to his father.

"Fletcher, I plan to tell your brother and your sister the same thing I am about to tell you." Windstrider explained, still looking out at the starry sky. "When you go out into the world, you will find that life is not always easy. Your mother and I have protected you and cared for you as best we could. We have done everything we can to prepare you for what lies ahead. Now you are on your own. There will be hardships you face in life. Not everyone you meet will be kind or generous. However, I believe in you and I have confidence that you can face whatever the world has to throw at you."

"Thank you, Father." Fletcher said quietly, feeling a lump in his throat. He was nervous and sad to leave his parents but there was nothing more he could learn from them. Still, he felt that he was ready.

"When do you plan to leave?" Windstrider asked.

"In the morning. I want to spend tonight with Tas and Mir." Fletcher replied, heading toward the back of the cave where his siblings slept.

His mother nuzzled him as he walked past her. "No matter where you go, you have our blessing." She whispered.

Fletcher smiled. "I will always love you, mother."

The gryphon padded to the back of the cave and lied down next to Tas who was sound asleep and Mir who was lying on her back, her wings outstretched beside her, also asleep. Fletcher hummed softly as he lowered one wing over his brother and the other over his sister and then closed his eyes.

To be continued…


	3. In Cold Blood

Chapter 3: In Cold Blood

Fletcher awoke at dawn the next morning, a little apprehensive about heading out on his own. As he stood up and stretched out, his brother awoke.

"Fletcher?" Tas said, still lying on the ground.

"Tas, ummm, there is something I have to tell you." Fletcher said. "I'm leaving today."

Tas stared at his brother in disbelief. He just couldn't believe that his brother was ready to head out into the world.

Before either of them could say any more, a female voice from outside called, "Hello up there!"

It was not a voice that either of them recognized. Fletcher and Tas walked to the mouth of the cave and peered down. There stood a human woman with raven black hair. She had very pale skin and dull grey eyes. She wore a red cloak and held an elegant cane in her hand.

Windstrider and Elees were awakened by the woman calling out. Windstrider glared down at the human woman who was calling up to them. She was alone and walking with a cane, and therefore did not appear to be much of a threat. Still, Windstrider did not like the situation.

"What is it that you want, human" he called down to her.

"I need to speak to you!" she called back.

Windstrider rolled his eyes. "Stay here." he said to his mate. The gryphon jumped from the ledge and flew down to meet the woman. He flapped his wings a couple of times to slow his descent and landed in front of her, folding his wings.

"What do you want, human?" Windstrider demanded.

"Allow me to introduce myself." the woman said in a smooth tone. "My name is Agatha and I am in need of your help."

"What kind of help?" Windstrider asked, his tail lashing from side to side in an agitated manner. He clearly did not rust her.

"I have come down with a terrible illness and you may be able to help me cure it." she explained.

A sinister grin appeared on the woman's face and she raised her right hand, snapping her fingers. Magicians wearing red tunics suddenly emerged from hiding, surrounding the gryphon armed with bows and enchanted arrows.

"What is the meaning of this!" Windstrider demanded, his eyes narrowing.

"You see, I suffer from a very deadly illness and in order to make the cure, I require gryphon blood. The cure must be taken every few months so I will need a steady supply of gryphon blood, which you are going to supply me with. Now, gryphon, I advise you not to try anything stupid!" Agatha demanded. "As you can see, I am a very powerful person and I have a lot of allies!"

Windstrider let out a fierce screech. "I knew you couldn't be trusted!" he roared. The gryphon sprang upon the woman and knocked her to the ground, clamping his talons around her throat.

"Call off your guards, now!" he demanded. "Or I shall break your neck!"

Unfortunately for Windstrider, he had just made a fatal mistake. Agatha's hands were still free and she reached into her robes and withdrew a miniature crossbow, pressing it against the gryphon's chest and squeezing the trigger. Windstrider shrieked in pain as an arrow pierced deep into his chest. It went straight through his heart, fatally wounding the gryphon. Windstrider reared up and staggered backwards, releasing Agatha. Gasping for breath, he spread his wings and took off into the air, flying back toward his cave. He gasped for air as he drew nearer and nearer to home, just barely managing to stay in the air. His vision started to grow dim. The gryphon barely made it back to the cave, stumbling awkwardly and collapsing the instant he touched the ground, his wings spread out beside him where he lay. Elees gasped in shock and horror when she saw the arrow protruding from her mate's chest.

"Father!" Fletcher cried, running to his father's side, horrified by what he saw.

"Elees…" Windstrider gasp in barely a whisper.

"Please get up, dad!"Fletcher begged, feeling hot tears in his eyes. He didn't want to believe what he was seeing. This couldn't really be happening! It had to be some kind of bad dream!

"It's alright. I'm here, Windstrider!" Elees whispered, tears in her eyes as she nuzzled her mate gently with her beak.

"I'm so sorry." Windstrider gasped, his sides heaving with each breath. "I love you, Elees…"

The mortally wounded gryphon let out a horrible gagging sound and laid his head down.

"Don't leave me, Windstrider! Please don't leave me!" Elees tearfully pleaded to her mate.

He closed his eyes and let out one last breath and then his body became limp and still.

Fletcher pinched his eyes shut and hung his head, trying to fight back the tears but he couldn't control himself. A pitiful whimper escaped from his beak and he felt the hot tears streaming from his eyes, wetting the feathers around his face. Tas buried his face in his brother's shoulder as he too mourned his father.

Elees stood over her mate's body. The sorrowful sob that she made as she gently nuzzled his body was heartbreaking. Her brave and loving mate was gone forever.

Suddenly there was a metallic pinging sound as a grappling hook latched onto the ledge outside the cave. Moments later, another grappling hook appeared and then another.

Elees bolted to the edge and looked down. Agatha's men were scaling the cliff. An unstoppable rage came over the mother gryphon. She tore one of the grappling hooks loose and released it, sending the men climbing it falling to their deaths. There were simply too many for her to stop though. Turning to her sons, the mother gryphon ordered them telepathically _Fletcher, Tas, take Mirriana and go out the back of the cave! Get as far away as you can! _

"We're not leaving you, mother!" Tas protested. Fletcher was about to protest as well but the look that his mother gave him stopped him. Her eyes narrowed and she hissed, "NOW!"

Both brothers knew better than to argue with their mother when she gave them that look.

Fletcher ran to the far end of the cave where Mirriana lay still sleeping and unaware of what had just happened. He gently nudged her awake.

"What's happening Fletch?" she asked looking at her brother curiously.

"We have to go, Mir." Fletcher replied, trying not to look frightened. He picked Mirriana up by with his beak, holding her by the nape of the neck.

"This way!" Tas called to him and ran off toward the back of the cave. The two gryphons came to what appeared to be a dead end but there was an opening at the top of the cave just large enough for them to squeeze through. They climbed up the rocky wall and reached the opening in seconds. Fletcher crawled out first followed by Tas. Before they even had a chance to try and fly away, a net had been thrown over them. Fletcher struggled under the net, still holding Mirriana in his beak. Agatha's men had been waiting for them.

Back in the cave, Elees was fighting to stop Agatha's men from reaching the cave but there were just too many. She tore another grappling hook loose but two of Agatha's men had reached the top and climbed into the cave, removing their crossbows. Elees turned to face the intruders. They fired their arrows at her but the gryphon unleashed her magic, deflecting the arrows to the side. Before the men could reload, Elees pounced upon them, slashing one man and sending his body tumbling from the cave. She grabbed the other man's head in her beak and crushed it like a nut in a nutcracker. She turned to face two more of Agatha's men who reached the cave but it was too late. The female gryphon screeched in agony as two arrows struck her in the right side, piercing deep into her body. A third attacker shot her in her left side.

Elees winced in pain and collapsed on the ground next to her mate, gasping for breath. She knew that death was not far away. Ignoring the humans who were now standing over her, Elees dug her talons into the ground, crawling and pulling herself over to where her beloved mate lay dead. Tears ran from her eyes as she lifted her left front leg and placed it over Windstrider's back. She buried her face in his feathers.

"Windstrider…" Elees whispered, closing her eyes. "I'm coming, my love…" and with that, the female gryphon let out one last ragged breath and her body became still, never to move again.

Agatha climbed up the into the cave accompanied by the rest of her men. Her cane was strapped to her back as she climbed the rope. She glanced at the two gryphons who now lay dead inside the cave.

"Hmm, a pity. You both could have lived but instead you just had to do things the hard way."

Agatha made her way to the back of the cave where her men lowered a rope through the hole in the ceiling. She climbed up and was greeted by the sight of the three gryphons trapped under the net.

Turning to her men, Agatha said, "We only need one of them."

Tas screeched angrily at the sight of the woman who killed his father. The gryphon tore through the net and lunged at Agatha, trying to slash her with his talons. In a flash, she pulled her cane apart, revealing a fifteen inch sword concealed inside. Agatha ducked as Tas swung at her and then she drove the sword all the way into his chest and twisted it. Tas let out a surprised gasp as the woman pulled the sword from his chest. He stood there for a couple seconds, a look of disbelief in his eyes until he finally collapsed on the ground, blood staining the feathers around his chest.

Fletcher shrieked in horror as he watched his brother, his lifelong companion, die before his eyes. Agatha ran the sword through Tas's feathers wiping the blood from the blade before sticking it back into her cane. One of Agatha's men, a magician, quickly cast a stunning spell on Fletcher to prevent another escape attempt. Another man reached under the net and grabbed Mirriana, pulling her from Fletcher's grasp and holding her in the air by the back of the neck.

"What should we do with this one?" the man asked as the terrified hatchling struggled in his grasp.

"No! Please don't hurt her!" Fletcher cried. "You monsters!"

"Leave it. We don't need it. We already have what we came for." Agatha ordered, glaring at Fletcher.

Mirriana suddenly twisted her head around and clamped her beak shut on the man's knuckles.

"Ouch! The little bitch bit me!" the man shouted, flinging Mirriana onto the ground. He then kicked the hatchling in the side, sending her flying through the air with a loud squawk. She hit the ground and bounced a couple of times before sliding to a stop about twenty feet away. The gryphonling lay there completely motionless.

"Mirriana!" Fletcher screamed, bawling uncontrollably at this point.

He called out to his sister mentally. _Mirriana, please wake up! Please don't be dead!_

There was no answer. Agatha turned and looked at the gryphon who lay entangled in the net bawling at the top of his lungs.

"Stupid gryphons. How many of you have to die before you'll figure out that fighting back will get you killed?" She turned to her men. "Would someone please shut him up?" Agatha demanded, tired of the gryphon's hysterical sobbing.

One of her men stuck a syringe into the gryphon's neck and injected some kind of drug into him. Fletcher's vision grew fuzzy and dim and before he knew it he was unconscious.

In the blink of an eye, Fletcher's entire world came crashing down...

To be continued…


	4. Sound the Bugle

Chapter 4: Sound the Bugle

Arion felt sick to his stomach. Before him lay the lifeless body of one of the hatchlings he had spoken to in the city just over a year ago. Arion and Cadius had stumbled onto the grizzly scene while investigation a report of suspicious activity in the area. They had already found the mother and the father and now it looked like not even the young gryphons had been spared. Arion knelt by Tas's body. "I wonder where the other sibling is." he whispered, wondering what had happened to Fletcher.

Agatha and her men had cleaned up any trace that they had ever been there, removing the corpses of their own men and just leaving the bodies of their victims behind. Cadius was sniffing the ground nearby as if he were tracking something. Suddenly he called out to his Rider.

_Arion, come quickly! Hurry!_

As the elf ran to his dragon, he heard a tiny, terrified squawking sound. There at Cadius's feet lay a little hatchling. She looked up at the Dragon Rider, trembling in fear with a look of sheer terror in her eyes. Mirriana let out another frightened squawk, presumably calling for her mother.

Arion examined the little gryphonling's body and was disgusted by what he saw. One of her front legs appeared to be broken and there was blood running from her mouth and nostrils indicating that she had internal injuries.

_How could anyone be so cruel? _ He said to his dragon.

Arion slowly reached a hand down to the hatchling and she tensed up, attempting to crawl away. The elf spoke softly in the Ancient Language, reassuring the gryphonling that he meant her no harm. This seemed to calm her but she still looked terrified. Arion performed a complex healing spell to mend her injuries. Within seconds, the bleeding had stopped and her broken leg and internal injuries were healed as well. With her injuries now treated, Arion gently scooped the gryphonling up in his arms.

"Where is my mama?" the little gryphonling asked weakly.

The elf sighed. He had already found the bodies of her parents. He tried to think how to explain it to the baby gryphon.

"I'm sorry. Your parents are dead, little one." Arion explained, speaking softly. It pained him to put it so bluntly but there was simply no other way to say it.

Mirriana's little beak hung open for a moment as she took in what he said. She let out a tiny whimper and tears began to run from her bright orange eyes. The gryphonling pressed her face against Arion's cheek and he felt her soft feathers on the side of his face. He wrapped his arms around her in a comforting embrace.

"I'm so sorry, little one…" he whispered, holding back tears of his own.

_Poor little hatchling. What is going to happen to her now, Arion?_ Cadius asked, sympathy evident in his voice.

_We will look after her, Cadius._ Arion replied. He hugged the tiny gryphonling, trying to comfort her.

Arion and Cadius proceeded to bury the bodies of Windstrider, Elees, and Tas together at the foot of the hill, giving them the dignified burial they deserved.

Mirriana stood before the grave, her head hung low and still crying for her dead family.

Finally, Arion gently picked her up, cradling her in his arms. "We will look after you, little one."

As Arion climbed onto Cadius's back, Mir gave one last look at her childhood home before the dragon and Rider whisked her away from there forever. Truth be told, she was lucky to be alive. As the gryphonling clung to Arion's shirt, she wondered what fate had befallen her other sibling, the one she loved most.

Everything seemed like a blurr. It took a while for everything to come into focus. As Fletcher regained consciousness, he became aware that he was lying on his side on a cold, stone floor in a dark room. The gryphon rolled over onto his stomach and attempted to stand but he was still groggy from the sedative Agatha's men had injected him with. He didn't have the strength. At first Fletcher was so disoriented he couldn't remember anything, not even his own name. However, as he awoke, the fog in his mind cleared away and all the horrible memories came flooding back to him as if he had just been struck by a tsunami. Tears flooded his eyes and the gryphon let out a long, mournful sob as he buried his face between his forefeet. He was so overcome with grief that he did not even notice the bloody rag tied around his left front leg. Fletcher never knew how long he laid there and cried. It could have been just a few minutes or it could have been hours. All he could think about was his family. His mother and father… Tas… sweet little Mirriana… Thinking of her, Fletcher felt a fresh spasm of tears come over him. Poor little Mir, so young and innocent… She would never have a chance to live her life. He couldn't stop thinking about how he had last seen her broken little body lying motionless on the ground. Fletcher just wished he could lie there and die as well. He had nothing to live for now. His loved ones were dead and now he had been deprived of his freedom. The gryphon looked up at the tiny window near the ceiling where the sun shined through. The sky that he had once taken for granted now seemed so distant. He laid his head back down and closed his eyes, just wishing he could die. As he laid there, drowning in his own self-pity, Fletcher suddenly remembered his father's speech. His father had believed in him. If he gave up now, he would be a disgrace to his parents! No, he wouldn't give up! He would make his parents proud!

_I will never give in!_ he swore to himself, a look of fierce determination in his eyes.

He was born a free gryphon and he would die a free gryphon, no matter what! He would not let these people break his spirit! He was a free gryphon and he bowed to nobody!

To be continued...


	5. Fireclaw

Chapter 5: Fireclaw

Fletcher's ears pricked up as he heard the sound of a door opening and the sound of footsteps approaching. He turned his head toward the barred door of the cell he was in as Agatha and three guards stood in front of it. The gryphon felt a great anger rising inside of him as he glared at the person responsible for the murder of his loved ones. Fletcher got to his feet, flattening his ears against his skull threateningly, not that it would do any good.

"Hello, gryphon." Agatha said in an obnoxiously smooth tone.

"I have nothing to say to you!" Fletcher hissed, turning around so that his back end was facing her.

"Well I am afraid you don't have much of a choice. Come with me."

One of the guards unlocked the door to the dungeon and opened it. In an instant Fletcher would have pounced on Agatha and proceeded to rip her limb from limb but before he had the chance, one of the mages hit him with another stunning spell. Fletcher felt his legs buckle and collapse from under him. As he lay there on the floor, stunned and unable to move, Agatha stood over him.

"You fools always have to make things so complicated. Now, I do not need to collect your wretched blood for another three months so I am sending you away until then."

Fletcher glared up at her with a venomous hatred in his eyes. If only looks could kill...

"Send me away?" he roared. "You think I am just a mere piece of property you can store somewhere when you don't need me?"

Undeterred, Agatha said to her men, "When the spell wears off, bring him upstairs."

With that, she turned and left the room, walking back up the flight of stairs that lead to the dungeon. Fletcher lay there for a few more minutes until he could finally move again. The guards escorted him up the stairs and into a large room with a high ceiling. There were four long corridors going off in different directions.

To Fletcher's surprise, Agatha was standing by the corridor on the opposite side of the room and next to her stood a female gryphon. The gryphon was about his size, with dark grey feathers with black tips and ashy grey fur. She had the same characteristic fan of feathers on the tip of her tail that Fletcher did. Her eyes were an icy blue. Her front legs were covered in numerous scars that looked like they had been caused by a knife rather than fighting.

The female gryphon approached Fletcher, a look of pure disdain in her eyes.

"Do you think Fireclaw will have any use for him?" Agatha asked the grey female.

She snorted in reply. "Perhaps he will find something. Personally I don't see any use for this peasant gryphon though. Still, I will let Fireclaw make the final decision." The female gryphon said.

Fletcher felt his anger building. The female looked him over and he could tell she was judging him.

"Just make sure to bring him back in three months. I can not afford to miss my treatment." Agatha said.

"Fireclaw keeps his word, Agatha. You will have this peasant gryphon back as promised." The female said.

"Just who might I ask is Fireclaw?" Fletcher demanded, no longer able to stand quietly as these two talked about him as if he were nothing more than property.

The female hissed. "Fireclaw is my future mate and your new master, peasant!" she snapped.

"I have no master! I am a free gryphon and I will bow to no one!" Fletcher hissed.

The next moment, the female had hooked her talons around Fletcher's neck and shoulder and flipped him onto his side, slamming him into the floor. Then she clamped her talons around his throat, choking him.

"You had best learn some respect, peasant!" she growled.

The female gryphon released Fletcher and he lay there for a moment, gasping for air before getting to his feet.

"My name is not "peasant"! My name is Fletcher!" he spat.

"Your name is not important to me! As far as I am concerned you are nothing more than a lowly cave gryphon! Now come, I do not wish to keep Fireclaw waiting!"

Reluctantly, Fletcher followed after the grey female.

"My name is Tamura. From now on you will answer either to Fireclaw or myself. And don't get any foolish ideas about running away! I am a trained assassin and I will find you no matter where you hide!

Fletcher simply snorted at the threat and Tamura rolled her eyes.

The two gryphons arrived at a set of double doors and the guards at the doors opened them.

Once outside, Tamura spread her wings and ordered, "Now keep up!"

She took off into the air. Fletcher wanting nothing more than to take off in the opposite direction but having already been put on the ground once by this female, he decided it would be best to go along for now. He took off after her, flapping his wings and gaining altitude. As they flew, Fletcher looked at the land around him. He didn't recognize anything. This land was all strange to him. Agatha's compound was situated on a hilltop. The place was a fortress, complete with towers, battlements, and defensive ballistae. The land around here was different from anything that Fletcher had seen before. Instead of high mountains and tall trees, the land was covered with lush tropical jungles and low, rolling hills. The air was hot and humid, though the temperature really didn't bother Fletcher.

Fletcher did not speak to Tamura as they flew along. It did not take long for them to finally reach their destination. The two gryphons flew over what appeared to be a set of abandoned ruins. The buildings were made of stone and appeared to be in good condition. Still, they were overgrown in weeds and trees. It appeared to be an old settlement of some sort. Tamura circled back, descending and landing gracefully on the ground outside a building in the center of the settlement. Fletcher followed suit, landing beside her. He immediately looked around him at several other gryphons as well as a few humans who were going about their daily routines. Everyone seemed to ignore Fletcher and Tamura as they made their way over to the stone building in front of them. Tamura entered first with Fletcher following close behind her.

The room that they entered was full of all sorts of human objects and gadgets the likes of which Fletcher had never seen. Sitting in the middle of it all was the biggest gryphon Fletcher had ever seen. His feathers were jet black like crow feathers and his fur was a very dark shade of brown. His eyes were mustard yellow and he had many battle scars. The gryphon was almost twice Fletcher's size. He had no idea that gryphons could even get that big.

Tamura padded over to the huge gryphon and nuzzled him under his neck with her beak. "I have brought you your new servant as you requested, my love." She whispered.

"Ahh, my dear Tamura. I knew I could rely on you!" the massive gryphon replied.

Fletcher could sense the lack of sincerity in the larger male's voice but Tamura seemed oblivious to it.

The big gryphon padded up to Fletcher and looked down at him for several seconds. He walked in a circle around the smaller gryphon, looking him over before stopping in front of him one more.

"He'll do." He said to Tamura. Turning to Fletcher, the gryphon introduced himself.

"Greetings, I am Fireclaw, leader of the Black Talon Clan. Tell me, young one, what is your name?"

"My name is Fletcher." The younger gryphon responded, not wanting to upset this behemoth.

Fireclaw nodded. "Now, let us get one thing straight. I did not bring you here as a slave. Instead you will be a personal servant."

"That does not sound any different." Fletcher scoffed.

Tamura gave a disapproving his but Fireclaw gave her a look that silenced her.

"Tamura, leave us!" he called to her. As the female gryphon departed, Fireclaw turned his attention back to Fletcher.

"You are mistaken. You will be performing tasks for me and in exchange, the Black Talon Clan will provide you with food, shelter, and protection."

Fletcher knew he didn't really have a choice right now. "Alright, I'm in."

Fireclaw huffed. "Good choice. Now, I take it Tamura already explained to you how things work around here."

"What do you intend to have me doing?" Fletcher asked curiously.

"We smuggle goods for Agatha. She has a vast smuggling network set up but recently the authorities have begun searching all travelers entering and leaving the major cities. The simple solution to that problem is to simply not use roads. My servants carry the smuggled goods into cities under the cover of darkness and completely avoid the guards altogether. That is where you come in. We also store her goods here, as you can see."

Fireclaw gestured to the large stacks of goods inside his quarters.

"Tomorrow, Agatha wants me to transport some of these items to her compound. You will be the one to carry those goods."

Fletcher was apprehensive about having to go back to Agatha's compound. Fireclaw saw the look on the gryphon's face and said in a low tone, "I urge you not to get any ideas though. Agatha's men are expecting you. If you do not arrive, I will have to send Tamura to find you. She is a trained assassin and an expert tracker. There is nowhere on this whole continent you can hide where she can't find you. Do NOT make me send her looking for you because I promise you it will be very, very bad!"

"Understood, sir." Fletcher nodded in agreement.

"Can I ask you something, Fireclaw?" Fletcher said. "Who exactly is Agatha?"

Fieclaw let out a deep chuckle. "Agatha is scum. She is from a wealthy family of smugglers and criminals. She has a lot of influence in the underworld and she has friends everywhere. Honestly, the only reason I do business with her is because she is helping me to gain a position of power. Someday I will rule this land and when I do, everyone who has served me will be rewarded, including you, Fletcher."

Fletcher nodded. "And I suppose Tamura is going to be your queen then?"

Fireclaw let out another deep chuckle. "No. She thinks she is, but she isn't. She possessed all the attributes I want my offspring to have, and I shall mate with her when the time is right. However, I do not have any real affection for her nor do I particularly care about her. She is a good assassin and does her job well. That is all I care about."

Fletcher huffed. He already hated Tamura. She was arrogant, rude, and aggressive, and now she was stupid to boot. It was so obvious that Fireclaw was just using her and yet the grey female was too dumb to see that she was nothing more than a tool. However, Fletcher did not dare tell her this.

"Do you know what the illness that afflicts Agatha is?" he asked.

"It is a vile disease, Fletcher. It is one that our kind almost never suffer from, but humans seem to suffer from it frequently. They call it cancer. Apparently gryphon blood is capable of stopping it. Tamura was previously giving blood to Agatha. She was doing it on my orders of course. I have her wrapped around my talons, you see. She is so infatuated with me that she will do whatever I say without question. Truly it is wonderful to have such loyal servants."

"I think I am going to get some rest if that is fine with you, Sir." Fletcher said, disgusted by this discussion. Tamura was an aggressive idiot and Fireclaw was a manipulative bastard.

Fletcher now understood why Tamura had the scars on her front legs.

The next morning, Fletcher awoke early and prepared to make his delivery. A pair of Fireclaw's human servants fitted the gryphon with a leather harness and attached several bags filled with undisclosed goods to the harness.

"Alright, gryphon, you're all set." One of the men said.

Fletcher snorted and spread his wings, feeling like a pack mule. He took off into the sky, flying back toward Agatha's compound. More than anything in the world, Fletcher wanted to just take off and fly somewhere but he had no idea where exactly he was and these creeps probably knew the area very well. There was nowhere he could hide from them.

The flight took several hours and when Fletcher arrived, there were four men waiting outside the gate of the compound. Fletcher descended and landed next to the men. Without saying a word, they unloaded the goods and sent the gryphon on his way.

For the next two months, this was the routine for Fletcher. He smuggled Agatha's goods all over Danthuania. He felt guilty for what he was doing, knowing that the goods were most likely stolen. On missions involving particularly valuable items, Tamura would accompany Fletcher. He especially hated those missions because Tamura hardly spoke to him and when she did, it was to insult him. She never called him by his real name, instead calling him "peasant". Fletcher never understood why she called him that since a peasant was a human term for a poor person. Fletcher assumed it was because Tamura considered herself to be above everyone else. In exchange for carrying out these missions, Fireclaw provided Fletcher with a dry place to sleep and plenty of food. It did not change the fact that he had no freedom though. Fireclaw may have called it something else but this was still slavery.

One afternoon, Fletcher was summoned by Fireclaw and whe he arrived, Tamura was already waiting.

_Oh great!_ The gryphon thought to himself as he stood next to Tamura.

"I have another assignment for you two." Fireclaw explained. "Agatha wants you to steal some goods from a wealthy collector in the city of Gringsford."

Fletcher snorted defiantly. "With all due respect, Fireclaw, I have done all your demeaning tasks up until now. However, I am no thief!"

"It will not matter, Fletcher. The people you are stealing from are going to be dead anyhow. That is why I am sending Tamura along with you. Now, I know you lack the guts to kill so Tamura will handle that part. You just concentrate on taking the valuables."

Fireclaw turned to Tamura. "Agatha wants these people dead. All of them. Your orders are to kill everyone you find in the house!"

"Understood, love!" Tamura replied, dipping her head to him.

Fletcher was horrified. Stealing was bad enough, but now he was going to have to be involved in a murder?

"Come, peasant. We need to get moving if we are to make it to Gringsford by nightfall!" Tamura demanded.

_May the great Gryphon Gods forgive me for this…_ Fletcher said to himself as he followed her out the door. The two gryphons flew to the northern port of Gringsford. Neither of them spoke to one another as usual. Fletcher's heart raced in anticipation of what was coming. He dreaded every bit of this trip. He simply could not allow this to go on. Fletcher knew that he would have an opportunity to attack Tamura while she tried to kill the occupants of the house. He would have to strike quickly and put her down before innocent blood was shed. The young gryphon had hoped he would never have to shed the blood of another gryphon but if anyone deserved death, it was Tamura. Fletcher utterly detested her almost as much as he hated Agatha. As much as he hated working for Fireclaw, at least Fireclaw treated him well. Tamura, though, treated him like dirt and was always cruel to him.

Finally the agonizingly long flight came to an end. They city of Gringsford lay sleeping beneath a starry night sky. The two gryphons landed on a rooftop and Tamura eyed a large house across the street from where they stood.

"Don't worry about taking the gold right now. Let me deal with prey first!" Tamura ordered. She leaped down from the roof, gliding down to the street below. At this late hour everyone was asleep so the gryphons did not have to worry about being spotted. Fletcher prepared for what was coming next. He needed to wait until Tamura was vulnerable before he took her down. He wasn't sure what he would do after he killed her though. Fireclaw would certainly come after him seeking retribution. Tamura charged toward the house's wooden door and threw her body against it, breaking it in with a loud crash. Fletcher entered the house behind the grey female. The two gryphons were just barely able to squeeze through the narrow doorframe. Moments after they entered, a door opened and a man wearing a nightgown and holding a candle entered the room, no doubt coming to investigate the noise. The instant he entered the room, Tamura pounced upon the hapless stranger, pinning him to the floor. The man let out a terrified cry as the gryphon raised held him down with her left paw while raising her right, ready to fillet him with her talons.

Fletcher prepared to make his move when suddenly a tiny voice called out, "Daddy?"

Both gryphons and the man who Tamura pinned beneath her talons turned and saw a little girl standing in the door way. A woman entered moments later, screaming in shock at the scene before her. Tamura seemed surprised and puzzled by the presence of the child. Fletcher decided to take advantage of the distraction and put her down for good. Crouching down, he prepared to pounce upon her and end her reign of terror for good.

To be continued…


	6. The Hurricane

Chapter 6: The Hurricane

Fletcher was crouched and ready to attack as Tamura eyed the child curiously. The horrible flashbacks entered his mind as he saw his own family in the place of this human family. Just as he was about to pounce however, Tamura turned to him, anger in her eyes.

_Let's get out of here!_ she ordered telepathically. The female gryphon released the man she was holding by the throat and then strode past Fletcher, out the broken front door. Once she was outside, she immediately took off into the sky again. Fletcher gave one last look at the terrified family, unsure of what had just happened. He retreated as well and took off after Tamura.

"I can't believe he asked me to do that!" Tamura hissed angrily. "He didn't say there would be children here!"

"What do you mean?" Fletcher asked.

Tamura turned to him and for the first time ever, she spoke to him in a civil tone. "Regardless of what you may think of me, I am not a barbarian! I do not harm children nor am I going to leave that child orphaned by killing her parents!"

Her expression changed once more though. "Now, shut up and do not speak to me again! Fireclaw will be most displeased that I did not carry out his orders."

Fletcher was actually taken aback by this. For one brief moment he actually had an ounce of genuine respect for Tamura. She at least had some small amount integrity. Fletcher followed Tamura back to the base. Neither of the gryphons spoke until they arrived home. It was just before dawn when they landed outside Fireclaw's quarters.

"Let me handle this." Tamura instructed Fletcher.

"Fine with me." He said, grateful not to be the one to face Fireclaw.

The massive gryphon had been sleeping on a pile of blankets. Tamura bowed to him as she entered followed by Fletcher.

"Back already?" Fireclaw asked in a surprised tone.

Tamura scowled. "You did not tell me there would be children in that house!"

"So what?" Fireclaw asked, gazing at her suspiciously.

"You know that I do not harm children, Fireclaw! I did not do what you asked, nor did we retrieve the gold. If Agatha wants it done she will have to do it herself!"

"What did you say to me?" hissed Fireclaw, standing up and walking over to the grey feathered female. "How dare you not follow my orders!" Fireclaw roared.

"I am sorry, love…" Tamura started to say, a look of fright on her face as Fireclaw fumed at her. Before she could finish, the massive gryphon unexpectedly struck her with the back of his forepaw so hard that it knocked her clean off her feet and sent Tamura sliding across the floor. In a flash, Fireclaw stood over her, pinning her to the floor.

Fireclaw looked up at Fletcher, who had moved well out of the way and growled, "Get out!"

Fletcher quickly complied, leaving the room. He stood outside the building, pondering what he was going to do next. Inside he could hear Tamura and Fireclaw arguing rather loudly. Then there was a crashing sound and Tamura was sent flying through the doorway and slid to a stop just outside, landing next to where Fletcher was standing. He quickly ducked out of site behind the building. As Tamura lay on the ground with a terrified expression on her face, Fireclaw pounced on her, striking her again, slamming her head into the ground.

"I thought you loved me!" she cried.

Fireclaw struck her once more. "Stupid female! I NEVER loved you! Were you really gullible enough to think I would fall in love with someone as dumb as you? Let me tell you something! You mean NOTHING to me! You are completely expendable and replaceable, just like all the other mooks around here!"

He clamped his talons around her throat and snarled, "Now, if you EVER disobey my orders again, I'm going to wrap my talons around that pretty little neck of yours and snap it like a twig! Do you understand?"

Tamura was shaking with fear. All she could do was nod her head while letting out a feeble cry.

Fireclaw snorted in her face and turned around, growling as he went back inside, "Get out of my sight! I will find you when I need you again!"

Fletcher peered around the corner of the building and saw Tamura still lying on her side, holding one of her front legs to her chest, petrified with fear. As morbid as the scene had been, Fletcher thoroughly enjoyed watching Tamura's ego getting shattered. He decided that now would be the time to make his move. With Fireclaw fuming about the failure of the mission and Tamura in a state of complete shock, there was nobody to stop Fletcher from leaving. He simply strode right by Tamura as she lay on the ground. As much as he wanted to make a taunting remark, he decided to just leave and get out of there. Thee gryphon took off into the sky as the first rays of morning became visible in the east. Tamura watched as he flew away.

Fletcher knew it was only a matter of time before Fireclaw or Agatha came after him. It was almost time for her to collect his blood again. Whatever he was going to do, he had to do it fast.

"There is probably no place in Danthuania I can hide from them." He muttered to himself as he soared along, headed for the northern coastline. Fletcher remembered that Arion had told him of lands beyond Danthuania. He knew that Alagaesia was directly north of Danthuania and Arion had told him that one could fly across the sea in only a few hours.

"That's what I will do then!" he said aloud.

Fletcher did not want to leave Danthuania behind. He had lived there his whole life but if leaving meant he could be free, he would do it. Fletcher arrived at the sea and landed on the beach, feeling the soft sand beneath his talons. He gazed at the massive expanse of water that lay ahead. It looked intimidating but he figured if a dragon could fly across it then so could a gryphon!

The gryphon's ears perked up as he heard wings approaching then a thud as someone landed behind him. He turned his head to see who it was and was shocked to be confronted by Tamura. Her head was hung low rather than held high like it usually was. Her eyes were red and puffy and the feathers around her face were wet as if she had been crying.

"What do you want?" Fletcher demanded, his wings flared and his tail lashing from side to side in a defensive manner.

"Fletcher, I…" Tamura started to say in barely a whisper.

It was the first time she had ever called him by his name. "I… I don't know." She said in a soft voice that Fletcher didn't think she was even capable of using.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"I'm going someplace where I can be far away from Fireclaw, you, Agatha! Now go back to your lover, Tamura! I don't want to talk to you!"

"I am not going back to him! Not now, not ever!" she sobbed. "If you're heading across the ocean, I was wondering if I could go too."

Fletcher scowled. "Why should I let you come with me? All you have ever done is treat me like dirt! You have a lot of nerve asking me for favors now! You've made your nest and now you must live in it!"

"Fletcher, please… there is nothing for me here. My entire life has been wasted serving that creep!" Tamura sobbed.

Fletcher was getting very irritated now. "Now whose fault is that, I wonder?"

Tamura hung her head and he saw a tear drip from her eye into the sand. "You wouldn't understand…" she uttered. "He was all I ever knew! I knew him from the time I was a hatchling. Fireclaw raised me and every day he told me that I was meant to be in love with him. He told me that if I did exactly what he said, we would someday rule the land together. Being the stupid little fledgling that I was, I believed him!"

There was sincerity in Tamura's voice as she spoke and Fletcher knew she was telling the truth. It dawned on him that it was not her fault that she turned out the way she did. Tamura had been brainwashed and conditioned as a hatchling to be loyal to Fireclaw and to carry out his orders.

"I have killed people… Innocent people… humans and gryphons alike just because Fireclaw didn't like them. I have innocent blood on my talons and I will never live that guilt down. There is nothing in Danthuania for me anymore."

Tamura looked at Fletcher pleadingly. "Fletcher, please just let me come with you. All I want is to find a place to start over. I want to leave my old life behind."

Fletcher stood there thinking it over. Finally he made his decision. "Alright, but as soon as we reach the other side, you are on your own!"

With that, the male gryphon launched himself into the sky, flying out over the vast expanse of water. Tamura flew after him, staying close. As usual, the two did not speak to one another. Fletcher wondered if he was doing the right thing by letting Tamura accompany him. He certainly did not owe her any favors after the way she treated him. Still, she showed remorse for her crimes and she had shown that there was genuine goodness in her soul when she spared that family.

The hours seemed to drag by. Fletcher and Tamura flew on and on over an endless expanse of water. Fletcher's stomach growled hungrily as he had not eaten since the day before. As the two gryphons flew onward, the sky became increasingly cloudy. Fletcher felt a twinge of fear in his heart at the prospect of being caught over the open ocean in a storm. Tamura flew closer to him, looking around nervously. Fletcher sniffed the air and detected that something was wrong, very wrong. Fletcher turned his head to the west and was horrified by what he saw. A wall of thick black clouds stretched from north to south as far as the eye could see and they were getting closer by the minute. Down below the sea had become choppy and the wind began to pick up. The two gryphons had flown right into the path of an oncoming hurricane. Fletcher had heard tales of human ships getting torn to bits in these fierce storms.

"Fletcher, let's turn back!" Tamura called out.

"It's too late! We have to keep going!" Fletcher replied.

He knew that by now they were probably closer to Alagaesia than Danthuania. He began to weigh his options. On one hand, they could continue flying north where they would eventually reach land, but the hurricane would be upon them in no time at all. On the other hand, they could fly east and try to stay ahead of the storm, but Fletcher did not know of any land in that direction. He was growing weak and exhausted from all this flying. Neither of the gryphons had slept or eaten anything since the day before and their energy reserves were running low.

Fletcher decided to take his chances with the hurricane, hoping and praying to whatever gods or deities were out there that he would find land. The wind became stronger and stronger and then the rain started. It was a driving, relentless rain that soaked both of the gryphons in seconds. Though gryphon feathers were coated in an oil that made them resistant to water, they simply could not repel this much water. Within minutes, Fletcher felt that his feathers had become completely waterlogged. Between his wet feathers and the relentless wind, it was all either of the gryphons could do to stay in the air. Lightning flashed and thunder cracked all around them. Nightfall was quickly approaching and darkness enveloped the world around them.

For what seemed like an eternity the two gryphons fought their way through the hurricane but the storm seemed to be getting stronger and stronger ever minute. Then, far off in the distance and just barely visible amidst the veil of heavy rain, Flethcer's sharp eyes spotted the wreck of a ship lodged between a pair of rocks sticking out of the water. Fletcher's strength was failing and he knew that this shipwreck may be his only chance for survival. He turned and looked at Tamura and saw that her eyes were fixed on the ship as well. Both gryphons fought their way toward the ship, battling the howling wind. An unexpected gust of wind caught Fletcher under his wings and flipped the gryphon over, sending him spiraling toward the sea below. He let out a frightened screech as the water drew nearer and nearer and then the next thing he knew, the gryphon had struck the water with tremendous force, knocking the wind out of him. Fletcher struggled to swim upward and finally broke the surface, struggling to take a breath. He heard a shrill cry from Tamura and saw her bobbing in the waves about fifty feet from where he was. She vanished below the water briefly and then came back up, struggling to stay afloat. Her energy was gone and Tamura no longer had any strength to spare. She looked at Fletcher, a look of sadness and deep regret in her eyes. She was too far away to speak to him over the howling wind but Fletcher felt her consciousness brush against his.

_Fletcher, I am sorry for everything I did to you. I was wrong to treat you like that. I am so sorry…_ and with that, the grey female was swallowed up by a massive wave that washed over her and she didn't come back up.

Fletcher struggled there in the water, staring at the spot where Tamura had disappeared. Part of him said to just let her drown and that she deserved it. Twenty-four hours ago, he would gladly have given in and left her to die. However, for whatever reason, the gryphon couldn't find it within himself to be so coldhearted. Taking a deep breath, Fletcher dived down under the water, kicking his legs and paddling deeper and deeper under the churning water. He could barely see and the saltwater stung his eyes but he could make out the dark grey blur that was Tamura's body, sinking lower and lower beneath the waves. Finally Fletcher reached her. He wrapped a front leg around her belly and propelled himself upward with her. He was exhausted and it took great effort to swim upward. Fletcher was slowly getting closer and closer to the surface but Tamura was heavy and it was very slow going. Tamura could no longer hold her breath. Bubbles began surging from her mouth as she was forced to exhale. The female gryphon began to desperately paddle upward while making a gurgling sound as she inhaled seawater.

_Hold on, Tamura! We're almost there!_ Fletcher said to her mentally, fearful that she was going to drown before the reached the surface.

_I can't... do it! Just let me go! Save... yourself..._ she replied painfully as she began to lose consciousness.

Fletcher continued struggling upward, his own lungs screaming for air. He feared that he not be able to reach the surface. Only a few feet left. With two powerful strokes, the gryphon finally broke the surface and took a deep breath. Tamura coughed repeatedly, gagging on the seawater she had inhaled as she clung to Fletcher's back. She struggled to inhale as her lungs were now full of water.

Fletcher struggled to remain above water, having to support Tamura's weight as well as his own. He looked around for the shipwreck and to his relief, he saw that the waves had washed them in closer to the rocks. Paddling with all his might, Fletcher slowly but steadily began to make headway toward the ship. He raised his wings slightly out of the water, using them as sails and letting the wind push him closer to the wrecked ship. When he was alongside the old ship, the gryphon reached up and dug his talons into the rotting hull, holding on for dear life as another wave washed over him. Tamura reached out and grabbed hold as well and began to pull herself upwards. Fletcher clawed his way up and over railing and landed with a thud on the deck. The rotten deck planks sagged and creaked under his weight. He reached over the side and grabbed Tamura, pulling her up as well.

The two gryphons lay there on the deck of the old ship, panting and trying to catch their breath as the rain and wind beat down upon them. Tamura coughed and gagged, lowering her head over the side as she coughed up more water. The female gryphon gagged and heaved as water spewed from her mouth. Then she retched violently as she vomited over the side of the ship. Tamura gasped for air twice and hung her head over the side of the ship again as she vomited once more. She laid there listlessly on the deck of the ship, coughing and dry heaving. Then she slowly got to her feet, still panting hard and gasping for air

Fletcher saw that the door to the ship's rear cabin was open. He stood up and slowly walked inside the cabin and out of the rain with his wings and tail dragging on the deck as he walked. Tamura followed, flopping down right inside the door. Fletcher walked over to the broken glass window, staring out at the raging sea outside. Lightning flashed and lit up the black sea and sky, followed by a loud crash of thunder. The howling wind whistled through the gaps in the rotting planks. Fletcher returned to where Tamure lay shivering on the floor. She looked up at him and Fletcher could see that she was scared. He was afraid too. Both gryphons knew they may very well die tonight and that all they had was one another.

Fletcher laid down next to Tamura and lowered a wing over her, trying to comfort her. Just a day ago he had hated her guts and yet now he actually pitied her.

Tamura nuzzled Fletcher's neck as he held her close to him. "Why did you do that?" she asked. "Why did you save me?"

"I couldn't... I just couldn't let you die like that." he whispered.

Fletcher now realized why he had done it. Tamura was now a different person than she once was. Her True Name had changed and to just let her die would have denied her any chance of redemption that she might have had. He felt good about what he had done. He felt that his parents would be proud of him for doing the right thing.

"What are you thinking about?" Tamura asked, clearly trying to start a conversation.

"My family. Agatha killed them." Fletcher replied sadly.

"I'm sorry, Fletcher." She said. "I never knew my family. Fireclaw raised me from a hatchling."

Fletcher crossed his forefeet and laid his head down upon them. He shuddered to think about the fate of Tamura's parents.

"What were they like?" Tamura asked.

"My father's name was Windstrider. He was brave, wise, and in my own opinion, the best father anyone could ask for." Fletcher explained. "Elees, my mother, was always so kind and gentle. I loved her so much." He felt the tears welling up in his eyes.

"Then there was Tas, my twin brother. He… he was always so cheerful and full of life. He was my best friend… Then there was little Mirriana. She was only a fledgling. She died when one of Agatha's men kicked her across the ground."

Fletcher felt the warm tears in his eyes again. Tamura nuzzled him sympathetically.

"Fireclaw told me that my father was a member of the Black Talon Clan and that he was killed while fighting our enemies. Then he said my mother abandoned me and ran away." Tamura explained.

"But I don't think that is true at all! The only thing I remember about my mother is that she once said she loved me. She called me her little angel. She would never have abandoned me like that!"

Tamura scowled, tears returning to her eyes. "Fireclaw killed them! I just know it! I hate him so much! And I hate myself for believing what he told me! At least you were fortunate enough to get to know your family, Fletcher. I will never have that chance."

Fletcher nodded. He was certain now that Tamura was not at fault for her previous behavior. Fireclaw was the real monster, not her.

"I'll kill him for what he did to me!" Tamura hissed as lightning flashed outside.

"Tamura, killing him will not change anything." Fletcher explained. "Just as killing Agatha will not bring back my family."

"True, but it will stop him from doing it to someone else! Fletcher, he ruined my life! He corrupted me and tricked me into doing all manner of unspeakable things that will haunt me for the rest of my days! Firelcaw and Agatha both deserve death for what they have done!"

While Fletcher had to agree with her, he shook his head. "We will inform the Dragon Riders about them then."

Tamura sighed. "They do not care what happens to us, Fletcher. All they care about is their dragons! Nobody protects the gryphons."

Tamure laid her head down on her forefeet. "Thank you for your kindness, Fletcher. It is far more than I deserve."

"I think you are a good person at heart too, Tamura." Fletcher said reassuringly.

Fletcher hummed and held Tamura close to him, trying to comfort her on this dreadful and stormy night. At some point he must have drifted off to sleep because when Fletcher opened his eyes again, all was quiet. The storm seemed to have passed and daylight streamed in through the broken cabin windows and cracks in the planks. Tamura ran in through the door, an excited look on her face. "Fletcher, come quick!"

She called before running out on deck again. Fletcher got up and followed her and what he was next astounded him. There were dark storm clouds all around them but directly overhead was a patch of clear blue sky. They eye of the hurricane was passing over them. In the distance, Fletcher could see mountain peaks rising above the clouds.

"It just suddenly got calm." Tamura said , looking up at the sky in amazement.

"It won't last." Fletcher said with a sigh. "Once the eye passes over us it will start all over again."

He looked at the distant mountains and then turned to Tamura. Do you have the strength to fly?"

Tamura nodded and Fletcher said, "Good. We need to reach the shore before the eye passes over us!"

Spreading his exhausted and sore wings, Fletcher took off into the sky with Tamura right behind him. The two gryphons climbed into the eye of the hurricane and began to fly toward land. The coastline of a strange land lay spread out before them and the two gryphon flew laboriously toward it. Finally they crossed the coastline and were flying over dry land. With the eye of the storm passing and the hurricane hot on their tails, Fletcher and Tamure began looking for a place to take shelter. The rain started to come down around them and the wind picked up again. Finally Tamura called to Fletcher.

"I see a cave!"

The female gryphon dived toward a tiny cave in the side of a cliff. She landed at the mouth of the cave and ran inside with Fletcher right behind her. The cave was very small, only going back about twenty feet but it was dry and just big enough to shelter the two gryphons from the raging storm. Fletcher panted, worn out from the arduous journey across the sea. Tamura looked equally worn out. She sat down on her haunches and began to preen her feathers and fur which were all disorganized and messy. Fletcher did the same, cleaning himself up and trying to remove the sea salt from his feathers and fur.

Outside the storm was raging full force again but both of the gryphons were too exhausted to care. When Fletcher was finished grooming himself, he curled up on the floor of the cave. To his surprise, Tamura joined him, lying down beside and covering him with a grey feathered wing. He had a strange feeling his chest; a gentle warmth he had never felt before. Only a day ago he had hated Tamura and everything about her but now he was actually starting to like her. He no longer wanted her to leave, and he guessed that she did not want to leave him either.

_Could it be that I am meant to be with her?_ He thought to himself.

Fletcher wasn't sure if he was ready for that step yet. He had barely gotten to know Tamura. Still, he was free from Agatha and Fireclaw, he was in a new land, and now he had a new friend. The gryphon closed his eyes, letting the sounds of the raging storm fade away as he fell into a peaceful sleep.

To be continued…


	7. A Strange New World

Chapter 7: A Strange New World

Tamura awoke from a peaceful sleep, her tired body feeling rejuvenated and restored. She looked over at Fletcher who was still sleeping curled up under her wing. She had never realized before how handsome he was. Tamura's stomach gave a hungry growl and the female gryphon forced herself to her feet. She didn't want to leave Fletcher by himself but there was no point in waking him up. She wasn't going to stray far from the cave. Tamura made her way outside and took in the world around her. The hurricane had gone and left much destruction in its wake. There were downed trees everywhere. Tamura smelled the scent of a deer nearby. Following the scent, she found the body of a deer pinned beneath a fallen tree. Though gryphons were not typically scavengers, preferring to eat fresh meat rather than dead things that had been laying around a while, Tamura was not about to turn down an easy meal. Unlike dragons, which could go days without a meal, gryphons had fast metabolisms and had to eat at least once a day. Tamura had not eaten since leaving Danthuania. The deer had only been dead for a few hours and the meat was still fresh. The gryphon hungrily dug in, eating ravenously until she was full. After a quick drink from a nearby stream, Tamura found a quiet place to relax.

She climbed up onto a fallen tree and laid down across the log, letting her front and back legs dangle over the sides like a big cat and allowing the sun to warm her feathers and fur. It felt so good to be alive right now. She closed her eyes, thinking about the future and what might lie ahead for herself and her new friend. She liked Fletcher and hoped he would allow her to stay with him. Tamura still felt like an idiot for being deceived by Fireclaw all those years. Her infatuation with him had been forced upon her at a young age. Now she realized that her feelings for him were all fake and that she had been trying to fill a gaping hole in her life by remaining with him. However, what she felt toward Fletcher was real. She just hoped that Fletcher could forgive her. It saddened her to know that he was the only person who had ever shown her real kindness.

Fletcher awoke and was surprised to find Tamura gone. He yawned and got to his feet, stretching out like a cat and then making his way out of the cave. He looked around and spotted Tamura lounging on top of the log. As Fletcher approached her, he saw the morning sunlight shining on her grey feathers and for the first time, he realized just how beautiful she truly was. Before now, he had never noticed it because he had despised her so much. But now she was a different person. As Fletcher stood alongside the log looking up at her, Tamura lifted her head and looked down at him with those icy blue eyes, a smile appearing on her face. It was the first time he had ever seen her truly happy.

"Good morning, Fletcher." Tamura said warmly.

She climbed down from the log and walked up to him, nuzzling him on the neck. This surprised Fletcher but he felt that strange warmth in his chest again. He couldn't shake the feeling that he and Tamura were meant to be together.

"Fletcher, there is something I want to tell you." She said to him softly.

"What is it, Tamura?" Fletcher asked.

Tamura sighed and looked at him. "We have both been through a lot these past couple days. Now that we're here in this new land, I want to start a new life and I want you to be a part of it, Fletcher."

_I like her, but_ _could I really love her?_ Fletcher asked himself.

"Tamura, are you asking me to be your mate?" he asked to which Tamura nodded.

"Were it not for you, I would be dead at the bottom of the ocean right now. You are the first and only person who has truly cared about me. Fletcher, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Tamura said, a pleading look in her eyes. She was afraid he would reject her.

Fletcher couldn't help but smile as the warmth spread from his heart to his whole body. He knew what it was now. It was the love that he felt for her.

Fletcher nuzzled her and spoke softly, "Tamura, I love you too."

If someone had come up to him two days ago and told him that he would speak those words to Tamura, he would have laughed called them crazy. Now there was no question that he truly wanted to spend his life with Tamura.

Tamura smiled at Fletcher, gazing at him with those icy blue eyes. "What now? We have the whole world ahead of us. Where should we go?"

Fletcher looked down, pondering this for a few moments. They could really go anywhere they wanted. Of course, there was still the issue of the two gryphons being completely unfamiliar with this land.

"I suppose we could start looking around." He suggested.

Fletcher spread his wings and took off into the sky, beating his wings as he climbed high into the sky. Tamura followed him closely, flying alongside him. Fletcher was still stunned by the recent turn of events. Someone who he had once considered a bitter enemy was going to be his mate. He let out an excited screech and performed a loop in the air. Tamura laughed as she watched Fletcher. The two gryphons headed inland away from the sea. They were soon soaring among tall, snowcapped mountain peaks and flying over deep, densely forested valleys far below. Up ahead the mountains were even taller. They seemed to stretch for miles into the sky. Though neither of the gryphons knew it, these were the mighty Boer Mountains, the highest peaks in the world. This place was isolated, with plenty of prey, water, and lots and lots of caves. All in all, it was the perfect place for a gryphon to call home. It amazed Fletcher that no gryphons had ever tried to inhabit this land before.

The two gryphons must have flown hundreds of miles in one day, leaving the sea far behind them. For the next two days they flew further and further inland staying along the front range of the Boer Mountains. The peaks were so high and the sides so steep that the valleys between the mountains never seemed to see the light of day. Fletcher had already discovered that the mountains were too high to fly over and he did not want to risk getting lost among the maze of giant peaks. Off to the west lay a vast desert which neither gryphon was willing to venture across right now.

One evening, Fletcher found himself perched on a rock by a small stream. The gryphons had stopped to rest for the night and it was Tamura's turn to hunt for the evening meal. Fletcher stared down into the dark water at his reflection. This was something that Fletcher had done often as an adolescent, staring into the water and laughing at the pudgy little gryphonling that he was. The reflection that stared back at him now was very different though. This was no adolescent, but instead a handsome, full grown adult. Fletcher thought about how his life had changed recently. He no longer had a home or a family to go back to in Danthuania. This land was his home now. This was just as much a new start for Fletcher as it was for Tamura. He was finally ready to come to terms with the loss of his family. He had Tamura now and hopefully someday they would have a family of their own. It was odd thinking about such things. Fletcher had never considered the idea of becoming a father before. He wasn't sure how good of a father he would be.

The gryphon's ears perked up as he heard wingbeats approaching. Tamura circled once overhead and then landed gracefully on the ground, clutching in her talons the biggest goat Fletcher had ever seen.

"This was the smallest one I could find!" the female gryphon explained.

"Apparently everything here is big, the mountains, the goats…" Fetcher started to say.

"And the wolves!" Tamura added, a sound of shock in her voice. "I saw some of them prowling about on my way back here! They're monsters! Perhaps we should eat someplace high off the ground. I do not wish to tangle with those predators! They will come running when they smell the blood from this kill!"

Fletcher had always detested wolves, seeing them as nothing more than just mangy thieving mutts who steal food from other animals. He was certain he could take them in a fight. However, for someone like Tamura, a highly skilled warrior, to sound so unnerved by these creatures, Fletcher knew they must be pretty scary. At that moment, both gryphons heard the sound of a loud howl not very far away. Without another word, Tamura grabbed the dead goat with her talons and took off, followed by Fletcher. The gryphons landed atop a rocky pinnacle, high out of reach of anything on the ground. Tamura set the goat down and nudged it toward Fletcher, offering it to him. She backed up a couple steps and stared at him, smiling. Fletcher eagerly dug in, eating his fill and then letting Tamura finish the rest. The goat was bigger than what either of the gryphons were used to and there was actually a little meat left over.

Fletcher found a cave high up off the ground for them to spend the night in. It overlooked the valley just as his old cave back in Danthuania had. After the sun went down, Fletcher and Tamura sat at the mouth of the cave, gazing up at the stars. The skies here were so dark and clear that the entire cosmos seemed to be visible. Every now and then a shooting star would streak across the sky. Tamura leaned against Fletcher's shoulder and purred softly. He covered her with one wing, holding her close to him. Though the mountain air around them was freezing, the two gryphons were never bothered by the cold temperature. They had their feathers, fur, and each other to keep them warm. All was quiet outside except for the occasional hoot of an owl.

"Fletcher, do you think we could settle here? This valley would be ideal for raising a family." Tamura asked, gazing out over the valley.

"I suppose. It is quite peaceful here. We would have it all to ourselves too." Fletcher said with a smile.

Tamura buried her face in the feathers on his chest, humming softly. Fletcher wrapped his wings around her, feeling the warmth of her body against his.

"I love you, Fletcher." Tamura whispered, lying down on the floor of the cave. She looked at him and opened her beak as if she wanted to say something but couldn't seem to find the words. "Fletcher… I… I think I'm ready." she said in a quiet voice.

When he saw the look in her eyes and realized what it was that she wanted, Fletcher smiled and nuzzled Tamura's cheek gently, his eyes gleaming.

.

.

.

The city of Illiria stood proud and gleaming in the heart of Alagaesia. Having been renamed after the fall of Galbatorix, Illirea had been restored to its former glory and was now the new headquarters of the Dragon Riders. Tall buildings that appeared to be held up only by magic toward thousands of feet in the air, elegant fountains, lush gardens, and wide streets to accommodate dragons were the primary features of the city. At the center of it all stood a grand fortress-like structure where the Riders and their dragons lived.

Mirriana was mesmerized by the spectacular city that loomed ahead, gleaming against the night sky. The night air was warm and the sounds of crickets chirping could be heard everywhere. The night sounds, combined with the spectacular skyline of Illirea ahead, created a surreal and peaceful atmosphere.

Mirriana strode alongside Arion as they walked down a dirt road on the outskirts of the city. Cadius padded along beside them. For the past two months, Arion had searched for Mirriana's brother and for those responsible for the deaths of Windstrider, Elees, and Tas. Sadly, Agatha had covered her tracks well and no evidence linking her to the murders had been found. Mirriana had never gotten a clear look at Agatha and would not have recognized the woman if she had seen her. Disappointed and heartbroken, Arion decided to return to Alagaesia with his new little friend. It saddened the elf to think that Mirriana would have to go through life knowing that the person who murdered her family would never be brought to justice. Arion had become very attached to Mirriana during his time with her. He loved her adorable appearance and her sweet and caring nature.

Over the past two months, Mirriana had matured considerably. While she was still just childlike in her behavior, she now showed a remarkable level of emotional maturity for one so young. No longer did she scamper along playfully at Arion's feet. Now she carried herself elegantly with her head held high with pride.

Mir suddenly looked up at a tree as Arion passed under it. The young gryphon crouched low and sprang into the air, flapping her wings as she flew up to the upper branches of the tree, vanishing into the foliage. Arion heard the sound of the gryphonling rustling about in the leaves and moments later, Mir jumped down, landing at his feet clutching a dead squirrel in her beak. She sat down and tore hungrily into the carcass. It was easy to forget that despite her sweet personality, Mirriana was still a meat-eating predator.

It pained Arion to think of her growing into an adult gryphon. He knew her innocence wouldn't last forever. Still, he was proud to be her friend and guardian and he would love and care for Mirriana for as long as he could. As morbid as it sounded, especially considering that Arion was an elf, he felt proud of Mir for catching that squirrel. It meant that she was learning to hunt and fend for herself. He had worried that he was making a mistake by bringing the gryphon home with him. He worried that she would be forever handicapped by being away from her own kind. Now, it looked as if Mir would do just fine in Alagaesia. Her hunting instincts came naturally to her.

After Mir had picked the bones clean, Arion chuckled as he knelt by Mirriana's side, stroking the top of her head gently. "Well done, little one." He congratulated her, scooping her up in his arms.

Mir let out a gentle purr and laid her head across his shoulder. Arion pointed to the beautiful city and said, "That is your new home, Mirriana. I am confident you will like it there."

"I hope so, Arion. It would be so wonderful to finally be able to relax and not have to travel anymore." The gryphonling replied, gazing once more at Illirea.

Arion set the gryphonling down and said, "You are getting heavier, Mir. Soon I will no longer be able to carry you."

Mirriana was saddened by that thought as she loved it when Arion cradled her in his arms and tickled her belly. Still, she knew she was outgrowing that.

"Perhaps it is for the better. I'll not be a gryphonling all my life."

Cadius looked at Arion. _She has grown so much over the past two months. _

The elf replied telepathically to his dragon, _Yes, she will be a fine adult some day. It is just sad that she has been robbed of her childhood. No one should ever have to face what she has at such a young age._

_Mirriana has grown stronger because of it though, Arion. She has grown more mature and she has begun to master flight as well. Considering what she has gone through, I would say she is doing very well. And you are right, Arion, Mirriana will grow into a strong and beautiful adult gryphon someday. _

The elf picked Mirriana back up and placed her on his shoulder. He looked up at Cadius and said, "Let's fly the rest of the way. I don't feel like walking."

The Dragon Rider climbed into the saddle on Cadius's back and the dragon took off into the night sky, flying with great speed toward Illirea. Mirriana climbed down from Arion's shoulder and sat on his lap, watching the scenery blow past. The dragon navigated through the canyon of towering buildings until he arrived at the fortress that the Dragon Riders called home. After Arion and Mirriana had climbed down , Cadius bid them goodnight.

_I shall be in the dragon keep if you need me._ The green dragon said, taking off into the sky once more.

"This way." Arion beckoned Mirriana. He walked down the long and cavernous corridors of the huge structure. The building was designed to accommodate dragons so naturally it was massive inside. The clicking of Mirriana's little talons on the stone floor echoed through the halls. She stayed close to Arion, not wanting to get lost in this big place. They walked up several flights of stairs and finally arrived at another long corridor three floors up. There were wooden doors lining each side of the hall. Unlike other parts of the building, this hall was not big enough for dragons to enter, having been designed solely for two-leggeds to live in. Mirriana followed Arion until he stopped in front of one of the doors. He placed a small key in the lock and opened it, revealing a small apartment. There were a couple of wooden chairs with cushions, a table, a wardrobe, a small washroom and a single bed. There were a few cabinets and bookshelves lining the walls. Above the bed was a pair of small windows that revealed the starry sky above.

Mirriana bounded over to the bed and leaped upon it. Arion went into the washroom to clean up since it was a custom for elves to bathe daily. After getting cleaned up and changing into clean clothes, the elf joined Mirriana, climbing into bed. The gryphonling crawled under the covers, snuggling beside Arion. The elf couldn't help but smile. Mir glanced up at the window, gazing up at the starry sky. Not a day went by that she didn't miss her family, especially her mother and Fletcher. And yet somehow, Mirriana had the feeling that her brother was alive somewhere. She silently made a personal vow to find him.

"Good night, Mirriana." Arion whispered, closing his eyes.

Mir nuzzled his cheek with her beak and whispered back, "Sleep well, my friend."

She laid her head across his chest and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep and dreaming of happier days with her brother.

.

.

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Fletcher awoke the next morning to see sunlight shining into the cave. He yawned and looked down at Tamura who was resting against his side. Neither of them had gotten much sleep and Fletcher still felt exhausted. There was no point in trying to go back to sleep now that it was morning so Fletcher slowly got to his feet and stretched. Tamura stirred and opened her eyes.

"Morning already?" the female gryphon said with a groan.

She stood up and stretched as well before venturing outside. Fletcher followed her as they returned to the rocky pinnacle where they had left their kill from the day before. Finding that scavengers had not been able to get the meat from its high perch, both gryphons proceeded to finish off what was left.

Fletcher turned to his mate and asked, "So, are you sure you want to settle here, Tamura?"

Tamura nodded. "I am positive. This place is ideal for us to raise our hatchlings when they come."

The gryphons decided to thoroughly explore the valley before deciding whether to stay there or not. Fletcher wandered through the woods, gazing up at the unusually tall trees that seemed to grow in the valley. This place was magnificent in every way. The gryphon wandered absentmindedly, admiring the natural beauty all around him until a sudden distressed screech from Tamura snapped him back to reality. He didn't know what she was screeching about but in the next instant, Fletcher felt something tighten around his left front leg. His left forefoot was yanked violently out from under him and pulled into the air by a thin metal wire. He had walked right into a snare trap. The jerking motion was so violent that it yanked the gryphon clean off his feet and there was a sickening cracking sound as his left front ankle broke at the joint. Fletcher screamed in agony as the searing hot pain shot through his leg. Tamura rushed over to him and cut the wire with her beak. Fletcher lay there for a moment on the ground, panting and staring down at his left front forefoot which now stuck sideways at a weird angle.

"I'm sorry, love. I tried to warn you about the trap but it was too late! 

Tamura bent her head down and clipped the wire from his ankle with her beak. She then helped Fletcher to his feet, careful not to jostle his broken leg. Fletcher winced as he held his foot off the ground, unsure of what to do now. There was the sound of wingbeats overhead and a large red dragon landed nearby. His scales were a blood red, as were his eyes. He cocked his head as he gazed curiously at the two gryphons. Tamura stepped in front of Fletcher, crouching down, flattening her ears back and lashing her tail from side to side like a cat ready to pounce on prey.

"Stay away from my mate!" the grey female hissed, seemingly unafraid to challenge this dragon that was ten times her own size. Fletcher was fearful for her safety. He wanted to tell her to run but he knew Tamura's pride would never let her do that, now would she be willing to abandon him. Fletcher dreaded what was going to happen next. With his leg injured, there was nothing he could do to help Tamura if things turned violent.

To be continued…


	8. Journey to Illirea

**Author's Note:** I want to go ahead and point out that this story does not take place in the same continuity as my other fanfics. Yes, Fletcher is in the other story I am working on but this story really has nothing to do with that one.

Chapter 8: Journey to Illirea

The standoff continued as the red dragon stared curiously at Fletcher and Tamura, apparently unsure what to make of the two strange creatures in front of him.

_Fear not, gryphons. We mean you no harm._ The red dragon said with an apparently male voice. He turned his head toward the sound of approaching footsteps. Fletcher and Tamura both did the same.

"What did we catch this time, Thorn?" called out a man's voice.

The human was a tall fellow with long, very dark brown hair, and grey eyes. He wore a brown tunic and matching brown pants, and held a bow and arrow in his hands.

"What in blazes?" he exclaimed when he saw the two gryphons. "Gryphons?"

Tamura screeched, flaring her wings and flattening her ears.

The man lowered his bow and spoke, "Easy, gryphon, I'm not going to harm you."

"Were you the one who set these traps?" Tamura demanded.

"Yes, but I had no intention of catching a gryphon in it!"

"Your trap injured my mate!" Tamura hissed.

_Relax, Tamura. He did not mean for the trap to hurt me._ Fletcher said to his mate.

"You are a Dragon Rider, are you not?" Fletcher asked the man.

"Aye, technically I am but I am not affiliated with the order itself." The stranger replied.

The man looked at the leg that Fletcher held off the ground. "I can mend that broken bone. Here…"

He knelt down beside Fletcher, using his magic to reveal where the broken bone was under the skin. Fletcher winced in pain and held his breath as the stranger repositioned the broken foot. The break was right at the joint and if not healed properly, the foot would be paralyzed. The stranger healed the break, taking his time and carefully mending the bone.

About a minute later, he stood up and said, "There, that should do it."

The intense pain was gone though the area around where the break had been was still sore. Fletcher moved his foot around to make sure it worked and finding that it did, he placed it firmly on the ground again. Tamura watched the man's every move like a hawk.

"Thank you, Sir." Fletcher said to the man.

The stranger bowed and said, "You are welcome, gryphon. By the way, my name is Murtagh, and I see you have already met Thorn. Now, if I might ask, what brings you gryphons to Alagaesia? You're an awful long way from home."

"My name is Fletcher, and this is my mate, Tamura. We do not really have a home to go back to." Fletcher explained. "We came here to get away from some problems back in Danthuania."

Murtagh nodded. "So you're looking for a new home?"

Fletcher nodded and Murtagh explained, "Thorn and I are outcasts. We were forced to endure horrible hardships at the hands of a cruel man. He took over our minds and forced us to commit atrocious acts. Because of that, the world jut turned its back on us when we were most in need of their help. They all labeled us as traitors and murderers."

Thorn added, looking at the gryphons, _The elves and dwarves hate us and most of the humans we knew are all dead now._

"Of course, I doubt you wish to be troubled with our sad little tale though." Murtagh said.

Tamura had calmed her nerves now and felt like being civil once again.

"Murtagh, we need to speak to the Dragon Riders. Would you be so kind as to tell us where to find them?"

"We are unfamiliar with the land." Fletcher added.

Murtagh thought it over briefly. "I suppose I can take you to Illirea. My brother, Eragon may be there. He can help you."

"We would greatly appreciate that." Fletcher said politely.

"Alright, just let me pack my gear then." Murtagh said.

Murtagh led the gryphons back to his camp and began packing his belongings.

As soon as Murtagh had finished, they set out for Illirea. Crossing the massive Hadarac Desert proved to be a surprisingly easy task. Fletcher and Tamura were both pleased to find that they were well suited for the desert environment. By taking advantage of rising thermal currents, they glided effortlessly across the desert. Thorn would look back at the gryphons from time to time to make sure they were keeping up. The flight itself was easy but the hours just seemed to drag by. For Fletcher, this was just as boring as flying across the ocean had been up until they ran into the hurricane. Tamura didn't seem to be bored out of her mind by the dull flight but then again, she was trained for long flights and had learned to be patient. It took them two whole days of nonstop flying to cross the desert. Finally Thorn found a small stream and landed by it. Murtagh climbed down from Thorn's back and filled a waterskin that he had brought with him. Fletcher and Tamura were both hungry and thirsty from the long flight and the stream was a very welcome sight. The two gryphons joined Thorn by the water and drank eagerly, letting the cool water refresh their parched and exhausted bodies.

By now, the sun hung low in the west and Murtagh said to his companions, "I think we have earned a little rest. We'll continue in the morning."

Fletcher nodded. "I am going to go hunting then."

He spread his wings and took off, flying toward the greener land to the west.

"I'm going with him." Tamura said to Murtagh, taking off after Fletcher.

Thorn curled up on the ground and Murtagh leaned against his dragon's side.

_They're such odd creatures._ Thorn mused as he watched Fletcher and Tamura fly off toward the west. _And yet I envy them in some ways._

There was sadness in Thorn's voice that Murtagh had rarely heard.

"What's wrong?" he asked, placing a hand on Thorn's shoulder.

The red dragon answered, _After all this time, I still do not have a mate. Those two seem so happy together. I envy them. I doubt I will ever know what it is like to fall in love or become a father. _

It pained Murtagh to see his friend so sad. "Well, have you been looking for a suitable mate?"

_There simply are not any other dragons here besides me, Murtagh. I was thinking… Eragon has offered us a home in Illirea several times and yet you keep refusing it. I am growing tired of this lonely existence. I want to be with my own kind._ Thorn explained.

Murtagh sighed, knowing that Thorn was right. He wanted to be far away from people, from everything, but he had seen how lonely Thorn had become and as much as he hated to admit it, Murtagh had become very lonely himself.

_I will speak to Eragon then. _Murtagh promised, scratching Thorn's scaly cheek.

Fletcher soared silently through the air with Tamura at his side. A half moon hung low in the eastern sky, bathing the world in a soft, milky white light. Fletcher scanned the ground below for any sign of prey. Tamura flew slightly lower than him, looking from side to side as she soared along. Suddenly the female gryphon's gaze locked onto something and she immediately rolled over, diving steeply toward the ground. Fletcher looked in the direction she was headed and spotted a herd of deer below. Tamura had already picked her target and was homing in on the unsuspecting critter like a guided missile. She pounced upon the deer and before the creature even had a chance to put up a fight, she broke its neck with a snap of her beak. The remaining deer scattered in all directions. Fletcher had never seen anything like it before. Though Tamura had changed her ways and turned her life around, she was still trained to kill her target in the quickest and most efficient way possible. Fletcher found it a bit scary to think that his mate possessed such dangerous skills. Of course, that could have been a good thing too.

Fletcher landed beside his mate and laughed, "Remind me never to get on your bad side!"

Tamura just crowed contentedly at his comment. Fletcher and Tamura sat down next to the deer and ate together. Once they were done, the two gryphons lied down beside one another. Tamura leaned against Fletcher's side, gazing up at the sky. It was wonderful just to spend time with the one she loved. She felt that gentle warmth in her chest whenever she was with him now. She loved him so much any anyone who tried to harm him was her enemy. Tamura wanted Fireclaw and Agatha brought to justice for their crimes. She wanted justice both for herself and for Fletcher. As long as he was happy, she was happy too.

"Fletcher?" she asked her mate.

"Hmm?" he replied, his golden-amber eyes meeting icy blue eyes.

"I know we have only truly gotten to know one another for a short time, but I feel like I've lived more during these past few days than ever before. My life finally has a meaning now. Fletcher, meeting you has changed my life forever, and I want to thank you."

Fletcher nodded and said, "I think you always had goodness in you though, Tamura. What Fireclaw did to you was not your fault. Besides, you chose to spare that family on your own accord. I had nothing to do with that."

He neglected to tell her that he had been about to attack her if she had attempted to go through with it.

"True, but afterward, had you not been there, I still would have remained with Fireclaw even after the way he treated me." Tamura stated sadly. "I would not have known where to go or what to do. I would have stayed with him because I would have had no place else to run to. However, when I saw you flying away, I knew I could trust you. I knew you had a kind heart and you would help me, even if you did not wish to. And then we flew into that storm… Had it not been for that storm, I likely would have left you as soon as we reached the other side of the sea. Instead, I got a chance to know you a little better. My life changed forever because you came into it, Fletcher. You have truly made a difference and I love you. You gave me freedom."

The grey female nuzzled Fletcher's shoulder. "I do not care if I ever go back to Danthuania or not. As long as I have you, I am at home no matter where we are."

Fletcher had never actually considered that despite the horrible tragedy he had suffered through, one good thing had come out of it all. Tamura's life had changed for the better because of him, and now she was his mate.

"Hey, shouldn't we head back now?" Fletcher asked, looking up at the sky.

"I suppose you're right. Murtagh is probably wondering what happened to us." Tamura answered, standing up and stretching.

The gryphons took off and headed back to camp. They arrived a few minutes later. Murtagh and Thorn were already asleep so Fletcher and Tamura took care not to awaken them. Tamura snuggled up alongside her mate and Fletcher draped a wing over her. Fletcher yawned tiredly and closed his eyes, resting his head on his forefeet. Tamura leaned against Fletcher's side and was about to drift off to sleep when she suddenly felt a twinge in her stomach. It was a strange feeling; not painful but not exactly pleasant either. Tamura did not know what it was but it lasted for about a minute before finally fading away. She wondered what it had been. Perhaps the venison she ate wasn't agreeing with her stomach for some reason. Whatever the case though, the feeling was gone now. Tamura yawned tiredly and decided not to worry about it anymore. Soon she had drifted off to sleep alongside her mate.

.

.

.

Agatha walked down the long dock toward a waiting ship, hobbling along using her cane. Her men were loading the last of her smuggled goods aboard and the ship was almost ready to set sail. Just as she was about to walk up the gang plank, she heard wingbeats approaching and turned to see Fireclaw land on the dock behind her. The large black gryphon walked up to her and said bluntly, "We have a problem."

Agatha lifted an eyebrow. "Really? What sort of problem" she asked suspiciously.

"Fletcher is missing. He has been gone for several days and nobody has seen him anywhere." Fireclaw explained nervously.

"So send Tamura to find him then! He must be hiding somewhere!" Agatha demanded.

"Well, that is the problem. Tamura is missing too!"

"What happened, Fireclaw?" Agatha demanded.

"Well, you remember those goods you wanted me to obtain for you?" Fireclaw asked.

"What about them?"

"Tamura botched the mission! I scolded her and she disappeared shortly thereafter. I just assumed she was skulking somewhere. She has always come back before, but she didn't this time! Perhaps she kidnapped Fletcher when she left."

He neglected to tell her that he had basically disowned Tamura which led to her running away.

Agatha scowled. "Dammit, Fireclaw! I trusted you with one simple thing and you somehow managed to fumble it up!" She glared dangerously at Fireclaw. "Have you searched everywhere?"

The black gryphon responded, "I am certain that there is no safe place in Danthuania for them to hide. Is there a possibility that they may have fled across the sea?"

"It is possible." Agatha said, stroking her chin. "Alagaesia is close enough that a gryphon could cross the sea in only a few hours."

A frightening thought suddenly occurred to her. "We need to find them, Fireclaw. I will be needing Fletcher's blood soon!"

Why don't you just catch another gryphon?" asked Fireclaw.

"Because, if Fletcher reports me to the Dragon Riders, we are both finished! Now, if you want my continued support, you will gather some of your gryphons and fly north to Alagaesia! Find Fletcher and bring him to me! I do not care what you do with Tamura. She is your servant, not mine!"

Agatha's voice was cold and brutal as she spoke. "Find him or you will be serving as his replacement!"

The black gryphon snorted, flattening his ears back and lashing his tail. ,He was apparently angry at being yelled at. He did not press the matter though. "I shall find Fletcher and return him to you. As for Tamura, it seems that she has outlived her usefulness just as her father did. I will kill her as an example to others of what happens to people who betray me!"

"Very well" said Agatha, retrieving a small map from her pocket and opening it. "I am about to sail to a port in the country of Surda. Fletcher will probably try to reach the Dragon Riders in Illirea. That is where you need to go. Keep an eye out for him."

Fireclaw looked at the map, committing all the locations on it to memory. Without another word, the black gryphon spread his massive wings and flew off into the sky.

"Incompetent fool…" Agatha grumbled as she boarded the ship. "Prepare to set sail!"

Fireclaw leveled off high above the port city of Gringsford, flying to the south. Another male gryphon joined him shortly. His feathers were a dark shade of brown and his fur was a very dark shade of tan.

"What do you have to report, Eos?"

"There is still no sign of either Fletcher or Tamura." The gryphon called Eos replied.

"I think I have an idea where they may have gone. Go back to the base and gather up a team of humans and gryphons. We need cross the sea."

"Right away, master." Eos said.

"Oh and Eos, since Tamura has betrayed us, you will be taking her place as my second in command. I advise you not to fail me!" Fireclaw growled.

"Of course, sir!"

.

.

.

It was late afternoon when the impressive skyline if Illirea finally came into view. Murtagh led the way on Thorn while Fletcher and Tamura followed close behind.

"I've never seen anything like it before!" Tamura exclaimed, a feeling of awe in her voice. "No city in Danthuania is this magnificent!"

Fletcher gazed upon the towering structures that jutted thousands of feet into the sky. The buildings were all a gleaming shade of white and had openings in the sides big enough for even large dragons to enter. Just ahead lay the fortress that the Riders called home. Thorn descended and landed just outside the gate and the two gryphons landed alongside him.

"This way." Murtagh instructed, leading them into the building. Fletcher and Tamura were both amazed at how massive the halls and rooms of the building were. Occasionally a young student would pass by and stare at the gryphons in amazement.

"I imagine we look very strange to them." Fletcher mused.

"Indeed." Tamura answered, still marveling at the impressive stone structures and statues that decorated the walls.

Just then a blue dragon rounded a corner and Thorn froze dead in his tracks, as did Murtagh. The magnificent scales that covered the dragon shined like sapphires and the creature carried itself in a very regal manner. The blue dragon first surveyed Murtagh and Thorn and then looked at the gryphons.

"Good afternoon, Saphira." Murtagh said.

_What are you doing here, Murtagh?_ Saphira asked.

"We are here to see Eragon." Murtagh said.

Saphira looked at the gryphons once more.

_Why are these bird-cats here? _Saphira inquired.

_They have come to speak with your Rider._ Thorn answered.

Saphira nodded. _Follow me._

Fletcher cocked his head curiously. He had never heard anyone refer to his kind as "bird-cats" before.

_Why did she call us that?_ He asked Thorn.

The red dragon answered, _That is the name by which many of my kind refer to gryphons. _

Finally they reached the corridor where the senior Rider quarters were located. The names of the elders were engraved on gold plates above the doors.

From here, the corridor was too small for the dragons to fit through so Thorn waited with Saphira while Murtagh led Fletcher and Tamura down to Eragon's door.

Saphira contacted Eragon telepathically and informed him of the visitors. Murtagh knocked on the door and was immediately greeted by his brother.

"Murtagh?" Eragon exclaimed, surprised to see his brother.

"I've decided it was time to come home, Eragon." Murtagh greeted with a smile.

Eragon invited his guests inside.

"Before we discuss anything else, these gryphons wish to speak to you." Murtagh explained, gesturing toward Fletcher and Tamura.

Eragon smiled and bowed to the gryphons. "Greetings and welcome to Illirea. What can I do for you?"

Fletcher explained, "Greetings, Eragon. My name is Fletcher and this is my mate, Tamura. We need your help. My family was murdered by a smuggler called Agatha. Agatha and a gryphon called Fireclaw have been holding me captive for the past two months. I want those animals brought to justice!"

He glanced at Tamura and said, "She helped me escape from them."

This was a lie but Fletcher was afraid that they would try to hold Tamura accountable for her past actions if they knew the truth about her. The last thing he wanted was to see her get in trouble.

Eragon stood there, looking at the gryphons. Then he said, "I have never had a gryphon come to me for help before. Fletcher, I will contact the Dragon Riders in Danthuania and instruct them investigate Agatha and Fireclaw."

Eragon's expression changed, "Now, you say your family was murdered two months ago? You didn't happen to have a younger sibling, did you?"

Fletcher was surprised by the question. He nodded in reply and said, "Her name was Mirriana. She died with the rest of my family though."

Eragon shook his head and placed a hand on the gryphon's shoulder, "Fletcher, your sister is alive."

"What?" Fletcher exclaimed, almost jumping out of his skin with surprise.

"It's true. One of our Riders recently returned from Danthuania with an orphaned hatchling. He said that he adopted her two months ago after her family was murdered, and that one of her older brothers was unaccounted for."

Fletcher was still trying to contain the shock of learning that his sister was alive. His beak hung open and he panted as if he was about to hyperventilate. Tamura nuzzled his cheek gently, calming him down a bit.

"Take me to her!" Fletcher exclaimed.

Eragon nodded and led them to Arion's room just down the hall. Eragon knocked on the door but received no reply.

"I bet he took her to the training grounds!" he exclaimed. "Follow me."

Eragon led Fletcher, Tamura, and Murtagh out of the building and across the street to the training arena. The arena was huge and divided into several different fields, each suited for a different type of combat training. Eragon spotted Arion instructing a group of young students and quickly approached the elf. Fletcher looked all around for any sign of his sister. Then he saw her. Mirriana was resting on a stone pedestal, curled up and sleeping. Fletcher couldn't contain himself anymore.

"Mirriana!" he cried, dashing toward her.

The gryphonling lifted her head and the instant she saw her brother running toward her, she was on her feet in an instant. With an excited screech, she leaped down from the pedestal and bounded toward her brother. Fletcher skidded to a halt and Mir snuggled against his foreleg, purring happily.

"Mirriana…" Fletcher whispered, feeling the tears of joy in his eyes as he nuzzled her.

"I missed you so much, Fletcher!" Mirriana cried, looking up at him with those beautiful orange eyes of hers.

Fletcher and Mirriana were bathed in the warm glow of the late afternoon sunlight as they embraced one another. Tamura walked over and looked down at the young gryphonling, smiling happily. She was happy to see Fletcher reunited with his sister.

Arion quickly sent his curious students on their way and joined them. "Hello, Fletcher. I'm glad to see that you are safe."

The elf smiled and said, "We found Mirriana alive and nursed her back to health. You have a wonderful sister, Fletcher. I am proud to have had the chance to know her."

"Thank you for taking care of her, Arion." Fletcher said in barely a whisper, looking down at Mirriana once more. She was still cuddling against his leg and purring softly. He couldn't believe it. He never dreamed he would see her again. She had grown since the last time he had seen her too.

"Mir, there is someone I want you to meet." Fletcher said, gesturing toward his mate.

"This is Tamura. She's my mate."

Tamura lowered her head and smiled at the little gryphonling. "Hello, Mirriana. I am honored to meet you." She said in a gentle voice.

"Hello, Tamura." Mirriana replied. "Are you and Fletcher going to take care of me from now on?"

Tamura nodded. "Of course we will, dear."

Even though she had just met this little gryphonling, there was something charming about her that Tamura liked. Perhaps it was her maternal instincts kicking in. Or perhaps it was Mirriana's sense of innocence. Whatever the case, Tamura could see why Fletcher loved Mirriana so much.

Eragon approached the gryphons. "Perhaps you three should remain here until we apprehend Agatha and Fireclaw. You are more than welcome to stay as long as you wish."

Mirriana looked to Arion and then back to her brother. "Can we stay, Fletch? I enjoy being here with the Riders and dragons!"

Fletcher thought it over. Honestly, he didn't see any reason why not.

"I suppose we can stay a little longer." He said with a smile.

To be continued…


	9. Kidnapped

**Author's Note:** Sorry for taking so long to update. I've been very busy at work and I am having problems accessing the internet. I was short on time when I wrote this so there are probably spelling errors. I'll fix this chapter up later when I get a chance.

Chapter 9: Kidnapped

Several days had passed since Fletcher had been reunited with his sister. The gryphons spent their time lounging in the warm sun or flying about Illirea and exploring the vast city.

Tamura enjoyed every minute of the time she spent with Fletcher and Mirriana. She felt so alive when she was with them. One afternoon the gryphons ventured into the countryside that lay beyond Illirea. It was a warm sunny afternoon and the gryphons were lounging on the bank of the river. Fletcher was sound asleep while Tamura played with Mirriana. A shadow suddenly loomed over them and both she and Mirriana gasped as they looked up and were confronted with the sight of Fireclaw glaring down at them.

"Why, hello there, Tamura!" he growled venomously. His yellow eyes shifted to Mirriana. "And who might this be?"

Tamura was on her feet in an instant, putting herself between Mirriana and Fireclaw. Moments later, Fletcher stood by his mate's side, glaring at Fireclaw as well.

"What are you doing here?" Fletcher demanded.

"I have come for you, Fletcher. But I think I'm going to deal with my disloyal servant while I'm at it!" Fireclaw hissed.

Out of nowhere, Eos dropped from the sky and landed on Fletcher, pinning him to the ground. The younger gryphon struggled against his older and much larger opponent. Tamura lunged at Eos screeching in rage but Fireclaw tackled her in midair, knocking her to the ground. Tamura was on her feet again in an instant. She lashed out with her talons, slashing the side of Fireclaw's face and leaving bloody clawmarks. The black gryphon retaliated by backhanding Tamura to the side. She slid across the ground but thanks to her resilience, the female gryphon shook the blow off and dodged aside as Fireclaw tried to pounce on her again.

Fletcher rolled over onto his back and tore his hind claws into Eos's stomach. He squirmed out of Eos's grasp and crouched low.

"Make this easy on yourself and give up, youngling!" the large brown male demanded.

Fletcher did not answer. He instead lunged at Eos, ready to tear into the larger male with his claws. Eos was ready for him though and before Fletcher could even try to land a blow, Eos had swatted him down. While the larger gryphon held him down, one of Fireclaw's human henchmen raced over and jabbed a sedative needle into Fletcher's neck. Immediately, he felt dizzy and then everything blacked out. Tamura witnessed this and went ballistic, unleashing a furious series of attacks at Fireclaw. Being bigger and having more experience, Fireclaw easily avoided most of the attacks but a couple found their mark. As Tamura and Fireclaw dueled, Fireclaw's minions attached a harness to Fletcher and three gryphons carried him off, flying to the northwest.

"You should not have run away, Tamura! It's a pity really to lose such a great hunter! Alas, I have no use for disloyal servants! You are just like you pathetic parents!"

The remark surprised Tamura and Fireclaw took advantage of it, clinching his claws around her throat and throwing her to the ground.

"Now, before you die, I think you should know the truth about your parents. See, what I told you about your father being a member of the Black Talon Clan was true. Unfortunately, he was a bleeding heart coward just like you! He tried to run away with his mate. They foolishly thought they could hide from me! They were wrong…"

As Tamura lay pinned beneath Fireclaw's talons, the black gryphon smirked and projected the images of the event into Tamura's mind.

.

.

Tamura saw a Eos and another gryphon with plain brown feathers dragging a male gryphon from a cave. The grey male's feathers were identical to Tamura's and she could only assume this was her father. Eos dropped the grey gryphon on the ground and returned back inside the cave.

A younger Fireclaw glared down at the grey male.

"You should have known better than to try and run from me, Taggart!"

"I want nothing more to do with you!" Taggart hissed, assuming a defensive stance.

"Well too bad! No one betrays me and gets away with it! Now I shall have to make an example out of you!" Fireclaw snapped.

The massive black gryphon lunged toward the smaller grey male. Taggart dodged the attack and tackled Fireclaw. A fierce battle ensued.

"He fought gallantly, Tamura. In fact, he may have even defeated me if not for my backup plan!"

Fireclaw showed Tamura an image of one of his human minions armed with a bow drawing back an arrow and firing. The arrow struck Taggart in the side and the gryphon let out a cry of pain, falling to the ground. As he lay there injured, Fireclaw placed a forepaw on the arrow and shoved it all the way into Taggart's body. Taggart roared in agony and then suddenly became limp on the ground.

Moments later, Eos emerged from the cave dragging a white female with black wingtips. The female held a hatchling in hr beak. The female had Tamura's icy blue eyes. She saw her mate lying dead on the ground and a look of horror crossed her face.

Fireclaw walked up to her and smirked, "As you can see, Mena, your mate was no match for me."

Eos snatched the hatchling from Mena's beak. The white female screamed, "Tamura! Let her go, Fireclaw! She is innocent!"

"You should have thought about that before you decided to turn your back on me!" the black gryphon snapped.

A look of rage and fear appeared on Mena's face and she launched herself at Fireclaw, knocking him to the ground and slashing him across the face with her talons. Fireclaw tore into her throat with his beak and Mena screamed as scarlet blood stained her white feathers. She collapsed to the ground as the blood spilled from the severed vain in her neck. As she lay dying on the ground, Fireclaw whispered in her ear, "I'm going to kill that little hatchling of yours, Mena! Tamura is her name? Oh, I'm going to have fun and take my time with her!"

A look of sheer terror crossed Mena's face just before she died. The last thing she ever knew in her life was Fireclaw gloating about how he was going to torture and murder her child.

Fireclaw stared down at the now defenseless hatchling, contemplating whether to make good on his threat or not. Baby Tamura looked up at him, completely unaware of the danger she was in or that this gryphon had just murdered her parents.

"Hmm, I have a better idea. Perhaps I can find some use for you after all." Fireclaw grinned.

.

.

The memory faded away. Fireclaw still had his talons clinch around Tamura's throat.

"As you can see, I clearly made a mistake letting you live. Don't worry though. You will be joining your parents soon enough! Now, any last words?"

Tamura growled, "Yes! You talk too much!"

She tore her hind claws into Fireclaw's belly and pulled herself free of his grasp. She leaped into Fireclaw's back, attempting to tear out his jugular vein. Suddenly Tamura felt a pang in her lower stomach similar to the one she had felt earlier, only it was quite painful this time. Distracted by the sudden discomfort, Tamura was caught off guard as Fireclaw threw her off his back. Before Tamura had a chance to attack again, he backhanded her again, knocking her to the ground. Tamura struck her head on a rock and was knocked unconscious.

Fireclaw stood over her, ready to deliver the final blow. "A pity you won't be awake for this, Tamura!"

Out of nowhere, Fireclaw felt a sharp pain on the back of his neck. Mirriana had leaped onto his back and was biting into his throat. He screeched in pain and shook his head from side to side, shaking the gryphonling loose.

"Leave my family alone!" Mirriana screeched. She had already lost one family and she was not about to lose another!

Fireclaw scowled and snatched Mirriana up with his talons, grasping her by the nape of the neck.

"Put me down, now!" Mirriana demanded.

Fireclaw smirked and pressed the tiny gryphonling against his face. "Or else what, you'll tickle me to death?"

Mirriana raised a forefoot and with a flash of tiny talons, Fireclaw screeched in agonizing pain and dropped the gryphonling, clasping both his forefeet over his left eye as blood oozed between his talons.

"My eye! You little brat! I'll kill you!" he shrieked.

Just then, Fireclaw spotted two dragons approaching and sneered. Without another word, he took off into the air, following after his henchmen.

Thorn descended and landed next to Mirriana. Murtagh climbed down off the scarlet dragon's back and looked up at the retreating Fireclaw.

"Thorn, get that bastard!" he ordered.

_I'm on it!_ Thorn replied, taking off after Fireclaw.

Cadius landed beside Murtagh and Arion climbed down from his back, rushing over to Tamura.

As the elf examined the female gryphon, Murtagh asked, "Is she alright?"

"Arion nodded. "She's unconscious but she'll be alright."

Mirriana ran over to Arion and tearfully sobbed, "They took my brother!"

Arion gently stroked Mirriana's head. "We'll get him back, Mir. I promise!"

Thorn returned and landed on the ground. _I am sorry, Murtagh. I tried but he proved to be too fast for me to catch!_

Murtagh sighed. "Now what?"

"We need to get Tamura back home." Arion replied. He picked up Mirriana and climbed onto Cadius's back. The green dragon picked up Tamura's limp form and they flew her to the dragon keep in the city. Murtagh reported the incident to Eragon while Arion continued to watch over Tamura. The elf ran a hand over her side and suddenly a surprised look appeared on his face. When he tried to detect her consciousness to make sure she was doing alright, he detected two more, very faint consciousnesses.

_What is it, Arion? _Cadius asked.

_She's pregnant!_ Arion answered, stroking the gryphon's side gently.

After several hours, Tamura finally began to stir.

She suddenly sat bolt upright and cried, "Fletcher!"

"Easy, gryphon. You need to relax." Arion said calmly.

"Where is Fletcher?" Tamura asked franticly.

"I'm sorry, Tamura. Fireclaw took him. We're going to find him though." The elf reassured her.

"No, I can find him faster! I know Fireclaw better than anyone else! I can predict what he'll do!"

"No, Tamura. You're lucky to be alive right now! You need to rest."

"I'm going after Fletcher!" Tamura replied, getting to her feet and spreading her wings.

"You don't understand, Tamura! It is not just your own life that you are endangering by doing this!" Arion argued.

Tamura just ignored him, taking off from the dragon keep and vanishing into the night sky.

The elf awoke Cadius. _Apologies for waking you, my friend! We have a dire situation! Tamura is behaving rashly! We have to help her!_

The green dragon opened his eyes. _What did she do?_

Arion replied, _She took off after Fletcher by herself! We have to help her or she is going to get herself killed!_

Cadius got to his feet, yawning sleepily. By the time Arion saddled the dragon and climbed onto his back, several minutes had passed. Arion and Cadius took off into the sky in search of Tamura but there was already no sign of her.

"This is not good! Tamura shouldn't strain herself, especially in her current condition!"

.

.

.

Tamura flew at a brisk pace, following the direction she had last seen Fireclaw and his minions headed in. Tamura's keen eyes searched the land below for any sign of her prey. Fireclaw was injured and probably would have stopped to have his eye treated. Still, he had a head start of several hours. For all Tamura knew, they could have changed direction. Finally she saw something. There was a patch of flattened grass down below where several large creatures had been lying recently. The grey female descended and landed in the center of the flattened grass. Sure enough, there were a few feathers here as well as a bloody rag.

"Sloppy, Fireclaw! Very sloppy!" she uttered, sniffing around. She could smell Fireclaw, Eos, several other gryphons, and then she detected Fletcher's scent. There were human footprints here as well. Tamura looked around for any indication of which direction they had gone in. Their tracks were facing in a northwesterly direction just before they took off. Tamura snorted, flying off in that general direction. She was determined to find her mate. Nothing was going to stop her and may the Gryphon Gods have mercy on anyone who got in her way! For three agonizing days Tamura pursued Fireclaw and his gang. It seemed like they were just one step ahead of her. She only stopped to eat and get a couple hours of rest now and then. Tamura had been on long chases before but for some reason she seemed to be losing her energy much faster than normal. On top of that she was always hungry now. It was strange.

"I can't stop now…" the female gryphon whispered, pushing herself onward. The countryside below now consisted of low rolling hills and grassy plains. Finally, at the end of the fourth straight day of traveling, Tamura arrived at the edge of a great city.

_That must be where they've taken Fletcher!_ She thought to herself.

Now it would be a simple matter of tracking him down. Tamura wanted to kill Agatha and Fireclaw. She wanted to tear them both to pieces but right now rescuing Fletcher as the most important thing on her mind. She knew she could not take Agatha and Fireclaw as long as they were surrounded by their minions.

Tamura sat down by the river and drank from the cool water, letting it replenish her sore and tired body. She knew she would have to be smart about this. She was in no condition for a fight. Just as the female gryphon finished drinking, she suddenly felt that familiar twang in the pit of her stomach yet again but this time it was downright painful.

"Uhhh!" she groaned, placing a forefoot on her lower stomach. "What is this?"

Tamura felt like something solid was growing inside of her stomach. She winced as the sensation continued for about a minute before finally diminishing. A though crossed her mind and Tamura gasped at the thought. The strange feeling in her stomach, her unusual hunger, running out of energy so fast, and the fact that Arion had warned her that she wasn't just endangering her own life by undertaking this adventure… It all made sense now.

Tamura sat down, curling her tail around her feet and rubbed her belly with her forefoot.

_I'm pregnant!_ She couldn't wait to tell Fletcher once she found him!

Then another thought crossed her mind. Tamura worried that all the stress that she had put on her body may be hurting the chicks she was carrying.

_I can't think about that right now!_ She told herself. _I have come too far to stop now!_

Tamura spread her wings and took off once more, flying toward the city that lay ahead of her.

.

.

.

Meanwhile, in a dungeon in Gil'ead, Fletcher awoke to find himself chained to the floor. His front and back legs were chained firmly to the floor and he had a muzzle over his beak that barely allowed him to open it. He shook his head to clear away the fog and come to his senses. Fletcher had no idea where he was or how he got here. The last thing he remembered clearly was Eos knocking the daylights out of him and one of Fireclaw's human thugs jabbing him in the neck with something. His head still hurt from the blow. Fletcher wanted to escape from this place. He wanted to return to Tamura and Mirriana, but he couldn't. He was chained securely to the floor. Fletcher looked at his right foreleg and was horrified to see a deep, bloody gash. The gryphon heard footsteps approaching and then Agatha appeared, accompanied by three goons armed with clubs.

"Ahh, the gryphon awakens." She said in that horrible smooth voice that Fletcher had come to hate.

The gryphon snorted, not wanting to talk to her. He felt a deep burning hatred for this woman.

Agatha's tone abruptly changed from a smooth one to one filled with rage and anger. "You have caused me a great deal of trouble, gryphon! Your Dragon Rider friends ransacked my fortress in Danthuania! I will have to start all over now because of you!"

"Good! You deserve it!" Fletcher spat.

"It seems I need to teach you some manners."

Agatha snapped her fingers and said to her men, "Do what you wish with him. There is no need to be gentle just so long as you do not kill him."

Fletcher watched as the three men gathered around him. One of the men swung the club and delivered a devastating blow to the side of Fletcher's head, leaving him dizzy and disoriented. Immediately after that he felt another blow land on his ribs. Searing pain shot through his body and the gryphon cried out as he felt a few ribs crack from the force of the blow. He was struck again on the foreleg just above where the cut was, opening the wound again and causing it to start bleeding. The men beat Fletcher again and again with the clubs for about a minute until Agatha called them off.

She stood over the gryphon who lay bleeding on the ground in front of her.

"Now, I want you to swear an oath of loyalty to me and promise not to run away again!"

"Go to Hell!" Fletcher snapped!

Agatha signaled to her men and they resumed beating the defenseless gryphon for another minute before Agatha called them off once again. By now Fletcher was badly battered, bruised, and bleeding from the severe beating. His right eye was almost swollen shut and his head felt like it was going to explode. His body ached all over.

"Last chance, gryphon!" Agatha demanded.

Fletcher felt the fear and anger rising inside of him. It infuriated him that this horrible woman had the nerve to make such demands of him.

"You may as well just kill me now because I will never swear loyalty to you, bitch!" Fletcher hissed.

One of Agatha's henchmen kicked the gryphon in the ribs, sending a jolt of pain through his body again. Fletcher winced and held his breath, not wanting to scream and show pain in front of these animals. Another one stomped on his head.

Agatha scowled. "Alright, that is enough! Maybe a couple of weeks with no food or water will change your mind!"

Agatha grasped her sword cane and turned to leave. However, before exiting the cell, she delivered a hard whack to Fletcher's already sore head with the cane. The barred door slammed shut and Fletcher was alone once more. Throughout the entire ordeal, Fletcher had never cried out in pain once. He did not want to sacrifice his dignity by showing them how much pain he was in. The adrenalin was wearing off and the soreness and aching was intensifying. Fletcher was certain that some of his ribs were cracked. He let out a low moan of pain and laid his head down on the stone floor, wishing more than anything to be back with his mate.

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.

.

Tamura flew low over the streets. By now the sun had gone down and a starry sky blanketed the heavens overhead. Tamura searched the city for anything that could lead her to Fletcher. Finally she caught a break. She spotted a man wearing a red tunic walking down the street. She recognized the tunic as being those worn by Agatha's goons. Silently, the female gryphon glided down toward the man and in the next instant, she had plucked him off the street, gripping his arms with here forepaws. The man let out a surprised scream as Tamura lifted him up and dropped him on a rooftop. She flapped her wings a couple times to slow herself, touching down gracefully on the rooftop next to him. Tamura glared at the man, her icy blue eyes shining dangerously in the moonlight.

"I shall give you one chance, vermin! Where is Agatha?"

The man sneered, "I'm not going to tell you! She'd kill me!"

Tamura hissed and grabbed the man by his feet with her right forepaw, dangling him upside down over the edge of the roof.

"And what make you think I won't kill you? Let's go for a little ride, shall we?"

Tamura launched herself into the air, climbing rapidly above the clouds.

"Do you know what happens to someone when they fall from this height? It doesn't actually kill you instantly." Tamura hissed. "No, after you've broken every bone in your body, you lay there for a few minutes and suffer! You are unable to move or scream because your spine is broken in several places, but you can still feel!"

This was all a lie but Tamura was counting on the thug being too dumb to know that.

"Is this supposed to scare me?" the man shouted in a shaky voice.

"No, this is!" Tamura retorted sharply, releasing the man. He tumbled head over heels down toward the ground, screaming his head off. Tamura rolled over and dived down after him, following him as he fell. When the man was only about one hundred feet off the ground, the grey gryphon swooped down and caught him, climbing back into the sky again.

"Ready to talk now? If you do not tell me where Agatha is, I promise you that I will be very, very grumpy!"

"Never!" the man shouted.

"Suit yourself then!" Tamura growled, releasing the man again.

Once again, Tamura followed him as he fell.

"Tell me what I want to know or I won't catch you this time!"

"Alright! I'll tell you!" the man shrieked.

Tamura caught the man and help him upside down. The man pointed toward a building in the center of the city and whimpered, "She's in there! Please don't tell her I told you!"

"Thanks!" Tamura growled, releasing the man again. Just as he was about to hit the ground, Tamura caught him yet again and flew up to a rooftop.

"On second thought, I might need you alive in case you lied to me!" she hissed, dropping the man on the rooftop. He cowered in front of her and Tamura couldn't help but notice a wet stain that had appeared on the front of his tunic, as well as a puddle of liquid forming around his feet.

"Pathetic…" she muttered, taking off again.

Tamura made her way to the building the man had pointed to. There were walkways and balconies all over the outside of the building. Sure enough, she saw more of Agatha's men patrolling the walkways and rooftop. She glided silently through the night sky, slowly adjusting her altitude. Tamura spotted a man entering through a doorway on a walkway on the upper floor and decided to make her move. She angled herself down toward the man, diving at him from behind. Just before he entered the doorway, Tamura dropped down on top of him, slamming his head into the ground with a forepaw. She then dropped the body off the roof to serve as a distraction, making it look like the man fell. The female gryphon entered the building, looking around for any sign of Fletcher. She figured he was probably locked up in the dungeon so she began looking for the way down there. One of Agatha's guards rounded a corner and spotted the gryphon.

"Hey!" shouted and reached for his sword. Tamura was on the man in an instant.

Clinching her talons around his throat, she demanded, "The male gryphon, where is Agatha keeping him?"

Trembling with fear, the man pointed to a staircase leading downward. Tamura slammed his head into the floor, knocking him out and then she ran down the stairs, careful to avoid any more guards. The female gryphon knew it would only be a matter of time before someone came across the unconscious guard so she had to find Fletcher quickly. Tamura ran down several flights of stairs until she found the dungeon. It was a filthy dirty place with standing water and the foul odor of stale air. Tamura ran quickly along the floor, the clicking sound of her talons on the stone floor echoing through the cavernous halls. She paused and sniffed the air and finally picked up the familiar scent of her mate. Tamura followed the scent, rounding a corner and then she spotted Fletcher, chained to the floor and lying, battered and badly beaten. She felt her anger swelling again.

Fletcher looked up at Tamura, a faint smile appearing on his face behind the muzzle he was wearing.

"I'll get you out of there, I promise!" Tamura whispered.

Suddenly she was confronted by the dungeon master armed with a spear. The man lunged at Tamura but she was too quick. She leaped into the air, grabbing the shaft of the spear with her forepaws and wrenching it from the man's grasp. She then pounced on the man, eying the keys on his belt.

Digging her talons painfully into the man's flesh, the female gryphon growled venomously, "Release him now or I shall tear your innards out and shove them back down your throat!"

"Alright, alright! Just don't hurt me!" the man pleaded.

Tamura let him get up and the man quickly fumbled with the keys, finally locating the right one. He opened the door to Fletcher's cell.

"Now unchain him!" demanded Tamura, watching the man's every move. The man complied, undoing the chains on Fletcher's legs and removing the muzzle. Tamura knocked the man to the floor and nuzzled Fletcher, lifting him to his feet.

"Come on, love. We're getting out of here!" she said reassuringly.

As Tamura exited the cell, she pushed the door closed with her tail, locking the dungeon master in the cell. Fletcher limped along beside her.

"Do you have enough strength to fly, Fletcher?" she asked worriedly.

"I think so, Tamura. Thank you for finding me!" her mate replied. The two gryphons climbed the stairs heading back for the roof. By now the guards were aware of Tamura's presence. Two men had found the unconscious guards and when they spotted the gryphons trying to escape, they drew their swords.

"Let me handle this!" Tamura said to Fletcher.

She charged forward, dodging a sword and slashing one of the men with her talons. She headbutted the other man and then simply stepped over him. Fletcher followed and soon they reached the doorway to the roof. As the gryphons ran onto the roof. Three guards armed with bows and arrows confronted them. Tamura stood between the guards and Fletcher, flaring her wings and screeching threateningly.

"That's far enough, gryphon!" one of the men shouted, drawing his arrow back.

_Fletcher, fly! _Tamura ordered telepathically to her mate.

_I'm not leaving you behind, Tamura!_ Fletcher replied.

_Trust me, I can handle this! You're hurt! Just go!_

Reluctantly Fletcher spread his wings and took off, struggling to stay in the air. Tamura Charged toward the men and they all fired at once. The female gryphon dropped to the ground, sliding under the three arrows and then sprang to her feet once again, tackling all three guards at once. She took off into the air and followed after Fletcher. More guards arrived and began firing arrows at the gryphons but it was already too late. Tamura caught up to Fletcher and soon they were well out of range of the archers. The gryphons flew until they were several miles outside the city. Fletcher could fly no further. He landed awkwardly on the ground and folded his wings, his legs trembling beneath him. The gryphon slumped down on the ground, too exhausted and tired to go on.

Fletcher had not been fed through the entire ordeal and Tamura could see that he was noticeably skinnier now.

"Wait here. I'm going to hunt for you." She said, taking off into the air.

Fletcher laid there too tired to move. Tamura returned about half an hour later with a small goat.

She set the goat down in front of Fletcher and said, "I took it from a farm. I doubt the farmer will be happy about it but we will be long gone before they find us. Now eat up."

Fletcher dug in, eating ravenously until his hunger was satisfied. Tamura began to lick his wounds for him, preening his fur and feathers and cleaning up the dried blood that stained his hide. Fletcher closed his amber eyes and purred with affection as Tamura tended to his injuries. After she had finished, Tamura curled up next to her mate and covered him protectively with one wing. She wanted to tell Fletcher the wonderful discovery she had made earlier but decided to wait until morning. Tamura was just about to share her wonderful discovery with Fletcher when they both heard wingbeats overhead. Cadius touched down nearby and Arion climbed off the dragon's back. The elf looked at Tamura first and then to Fletcher.

"You actually rescued him!" he exclaimed in an impressed manner.

"Of course I did! I told you I could do it!" Tamura replied. "Now, Fletcher could use your healing abilities though."

Arion knelt beside Fletcher and examined the gryphon. "It looks like you have been through to Hell and back, my friend."

"I feel like it too..." Fletcher groaned.

Arion mended Fletcher's wounds and stood back.

"Get some rest, both of you. We'll take you back to Illirea in the morning." He said.

Cadius curled up beside the gryphons.

"Agatha is here in Alagaesia." Fletcher said to Arion. "She is back in the city we just left."

"Gil'ead?" Arion asked.

"It is doubtful she is still there though." Tamura added. "She probably ran as soon as I showed up."

Arion nodded in agreement. "She is running out of places to hide. In the mean time, aren't you going to tell Fletcher the good news, Tamura?"

"What news?" Fletcher asked, looking at Tamura curiously.

"Fletcher, I'm pregnant!" She answered in almost a whisper, a tentative smile on her face. "I'm going to be a mother!"

Tamura felt wonderful saying it.

Fletcher was stunned. After several seconds, the initial shock wore off and a smile appeared on his face. He couldn't believe he was going to be a father.

"Oh Tamura…" he said, nuzzling his mate. He was speechless. Despite the nightmare he had just endured, this was the happiest moment of his life. He had everything now! He had a beautiful mate, Mirriana was alive, and now he was going to be a dad! Nothing else mattered right now.

Arion smiled at the gryphons and then joined his dragon.

_They will make wonderful parents, don't you think?_ The green dragon asked.

_Indeed, my friend._ The elf replied, leaning against his dragon's side.

Fletcher closed his eyes and gladly let sleep overtake him, dreaming of the children he would soon have.

To be continued…


	10. A New Family

Chapter 10: A New Family

The next morning, Fletcher and Tamura set off for Illirea with Arion leading the way. They took their time due to Fletcher's exhaustion and Tamura's delicate condition. The trip took several days but nobody minded. It was good to travel at a leisurely pace.

As the skyline of Illirea came into view, Fletcher said with a tone of relief, "Ah, home sweet home."

Tamura nodded in agreement. Suddenly she felt another painful spasm in her lower abdomen again. She winced painfully and clutched her forepaws against her belly. She wobbled awkwardly in the air, struggling to remain airborne. Fletcher flew close by Tamura's side, ready to help her if necessary.

"Are you gonna make it, Tamura?" he asked.

Tamura nodded. "I'll be alright. Thank you, Fletcher."

Finally the feeling faded away after several minutes and Tamura was able to fly normally again.

Arion led the gryphons to the top of one of the tall spires and Cadius flew in through an opening in the side of building, landing in a large empty room. Fletcher and Tamura landed beside the dragon and surveyed their surroundings.

Arion climbed down off Cadius's back and said to the gryphons, "This is one of the chambers reserved for elder Riders. Eragon has granted you permission to stay here though."

Fletcher nodded. "Thank you, Arion."

The elf said, "You and Tamura will be safe here. Eragon says that you are welcome to remain here for as long as you please."

"Thank you. We greatly appreciate what you have done for us." Tamura said.

Just then Mirriana bounded into the room.

"Fletcher! Tamura!" she shouted excitedly, bounding up to them and skidding to a stop in front of her brother. "I was so worried! Thank the stars you are safe!"

Fletcher nuzzled his sister. "We're alright, Mir."

Arion knelt beside Mirriana, gently stroking her head. "I told you I would get them home safe."

The gryphonling purred as the elf scratched her behind the ear.

"Well, I suppose I will let you rest up." Arion said, climbing onto Cadius's back once more.

"Goodbye, Arion. And thanks again!" Fletcher called after the Dragon Rider.

Fletcher felt Tamura contact him telepathically. _Should we tell Mirriana the good news?_

Fletcher replied, _I don't see why not._

Tamura smiled, looking down at Mirriana. "Mirriana, we have something wonderful to tell you."

"We're going to be parents!" Fletcher said, smiling at his sister warmly.

Mirriana's eyes lit up with excitement. "When do you think it will happen?" she asked.

"I guess any day now." Tamura replied, sitting down on her haunches as she felt the discomfort in her stomach again.

"I can't wait."Mirriana grinned, gently nuzzling her brother's leg.

"Neither can we, Mir. Neither can we…" Fletcher said, thinking of his new family.

The gryphons surveyed their new home. The chamber was large and cavernous. Most of the furniture had been removed since the gryphons had no use for it. In the center of the large room was a large padded dais that would normally be used for a dragon to sleep on. It was large enough that all the gryphons could sleep on it. There were big windows lining the rooms allowing plenty of natural light to shine in. The gryphons did not need lighting at night, instead possessing excellent night vision.

As the days went by, Tamura spent increased amounts of time resting and had developed a very large appetite. Fletcher had to hunt several times a day to satisfy her hunger. It was very exhausting and Fletcher hoped it would end soon. In addition to hunting, he also had to clean up the bones that were left over from their meals. Though this was normal for gryphons, it was usually just a matter of flying a short ways from a cave and dumping the bones in the woods. Here though it involved flying all the way outside the city to dispose of them.

A week went by and one night Fletcher returned from a hunt bringing back a deer for Tamura. He landed inside the large room they usually slept in and laid the deer down for Tamura. She stood up sluggishly and began to walk over when suddenly the grey female doubled over in pain, pinching her eyes shut and letting out an involuntary groan. Tamura stood very still, panting hard with her head held low. Fletcher looked at his mate worriedly. Tamura looked up at him, her beak hanging open as her icy blue eyes met his golden-amber eyes.

"They're coming…" she whispered, trembling as she stood there.

Fletcher stood beside Tamura and draped a wing over her, holding her close to him and trying to comfort her. Tamura suddenly winced with pain again, holding her breath as the pain intensified.

"Fletcher…" she gasped.

"It's going to be alright, Tamura. I'm here." Fletcher said reassuringly, nuzzling her cheek. He could tell she was frightened and apprehensive. Although rare, it was not unheard of for gryphons to die while trying to lay eggs, especially first time mothers.

Tamura grunted and pinched her eyes shut as another wave of pain came over her. It wouldn't be long now. She arched her back and groaned, resisting the urge to scream and Fletcher backed away, giving her some room. Tamura opened her beak, closing her eyes, her sides heaving with each labored breath she took. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, she felt an egg come out. Almost immediately though, the pain doubled and Tamura let out a cry of pain as she felt the second egg coming. Fletcher watched nervously as Tamura struggled to lay her second egg. He wished there was something he could do to help. It worried Fletcher to see Tamura in this much pain. He did not remember his own mother crying out like this when she laid Mirriana's egg.

Tamura felt like her insides were going to explode. A fresh wave of pain came over her as the female gryphon struggled to expel that second egg. Finally she felt it come out and almost immediately the pain wavered. Tamura, panted hard, relief and exhaustion overtaking her. She stood still catching her breath for a moment before turning to look at her eggs. They were a light tan color and covered with light brown speckles.

Fletcher let out a sigh of relief, glad that the ordeal was over and that Tamura was alright.

"They're beautiful." he said, smiling to his mate.

Tamura gently lied down, covering the eggs with her body. Fletcher laid down beside her and covered her with a wing. Tamura's body trembled from the strain of laying the eggs but she appeared to be doing recovering now.

"They will hatch soon." Fletcher reassured his mate.

The chicks inside the eggs were ready to hatch as soon as they were laid and gryphon eggs commonly hatched within a few minutes to a few hours of being laid.

"I can hardly wait." Tamura panted, propping her head on Fletcher's shoulder and humming softly.

She laid her head down and closed her eyes. Fletcher laid his head down next to her and kept a watchful eye over his mate. Tamura had almost drifted off to sleep when she felt something move underneath her. The female gryphon lifted her head, blinking tiredly. She felt the eggs moving beneath her and quickly stood up.

Fletcher, who was still awake, stood up as well, his eyes fixed on the two eggs which twitched. Tiny squeaks could be heard emanating from inside the shells. Tamura glanced excitedly at Fletcher and then back to the eggs. Both gryphons watched in silent amazement as a crack began to form in one of the eggs and moments later, a chunk of shell broke off and a tiny beak began to poke through. Seconds later the egg shattered. There sat a tiny little hatchling. The hatchling was a male with the usual grey downy feathers and tawny colored fur with black cub spots. His true coloring would not become apparent until he was at least several weeks old. The hatchling opened his eyes and looked up at Tamura. He had the same icy blue eyes as his mother. Tamura gazed down at her son, her beak open slightly in a state of awe.

_This is my child. _She thought to herself, lowering her head toward the hatchling. The female gryphon cooed softly as she nuzzled her son gently. Fletcher smiled, a feeling of great joy swelling within him. He joined Tamura, looking down at the tiny hatchling and nuzzling him gently.

"Hello there, little one." Fletcher whispered gently.

The hatchling looked up at him and let out a curious squawk. Fletcher chuckled and smiled once more. He quickly turned his attention to the second egg as it began to break open. The second hatchling emerged. This one was a female. She was virtually identical to her brother except that she had golden-amber eyes similar to her father. Fletcher gently picked the hatchling up with his beak and carried her over to Tamura.

"Say hello to our daughter." He said, placing her on the ground by his mate.

The female hatchling gazed up at her mother and twittered curiously.

Tamura's eyes shined with pride and she whispered softly, "They're so beautiful, Fletcher."

Fletcher nodded. "Just like their mother."

Both hatchlings were soaking wet from the yolk and fluids inside the eggs. Almost as if by instinct, Tamura began licking the male hatchling that she cradled between her forefeet, cleaning him and removing the egg and yolk fluids from his tiny body. Fletcher followed suit, lying down and grooming his daughter. There was something magical about that moment. Fletcher still couldn't believe that he was a father now. This tiny mass of fur and downy feathers that he cradled between his talon was his child, his flesh and blood offspring. The gryphon looked down at his daughter with gentle eyes and in that moment, he felt the familiar warmth in his chest once more. It was the undying love that a father felt for his newborn child. He returned to grooming the hatchling until her fur was dry and clean.

As soon as Fletcher finished grooming his daughter, the little hatchling looked up at him with golden-amber eyes and gave a timid squawk. Having had some experience in child raising from taking care of Mirriana, Fletcher assumed that the little hatchling was hungry. He promptly stood up and walked over to the piece of meat he had brought back earlier. Tearing off a small piece, the gryphon returned to his daughter and offered her the food. She quickly snatched it and gobbled it up. Fletcher promptly retrieved another piece of meat which he used to feed his son.

Tamura smiled warmly and nuzzled her mate's shoulder as he stood next to her.

"I want to name our daughter Anita." Tamura stated, looking down at the female hatchling.

"Anita…" Fletcher whispered, thinking it over. He liked that name.

"Anita it is then." He said.

Anita cocked her head curiously, looking first at her father and then at her mother. The hatchling slowly attempted to stand but her legs simply wobbled and gave out beneath her. Undaunted, the gryphonling attempted to stand again and was successful this time. Anita took a few wobbly steps toward her mother. She crawled over Tamura's forelegs and stood next to her brother, trilling excitedly. Tamura gently nuzzled Anita and the little gryphonling licked her on the cheek.

"My little darling." Tamura whispered. She looked at Fletcher and asked, "So what are we going to name our son?"

Fletcher thought it over for a minute. Suddenly the male hatchling let out a screech as Anita tugged on his ear with her beak. Fletcher smiled, remembered how he and his brother used to rough each other up.

"Tas…" Fletcher stated. Then he turned to Tamura once more. "I want to name him after my brother, Tas. I know it is a strange name but… but I want to name my son after Tas to honor his memory."

Tamura nodded in approval. "I think it is a lovely name." She looked down at her son and said in a soft voice, "Tas and Anita. My beautiful babies…"

The female gryphon let out a tired yawn which seemed to puzzle the rambunctious hatchlings.

"Mama needs to rest, little ones." She whispered.

Tamura laid down next to the hatchlings and covered them with a wing, holding them close to her warm side. Fletcher lied down beside her and Tamura lifted her wing and draped it over him as well. Fletcher glanced over at Mirriana, who was still sleeping on the dais. Always a deep sleeper, Mir had not stirred during the entire ordeal.

"She'll be in for a surprise in the morning, won't she?" Fletcher whispered to Tamura.

"Yes. I think she is going to enjoy her new playmates." Tamura replied, closing her eyes. Fletcher closed his eyes and hummed softly. He now had a complete family again. He was a proud father and he could tell that Tamura was proud of her babies as well. He felt that gentle soothing warmth in his chest that he always felt when he was with those he loved. This was truly the happiest moment of Fletcher's life and no matter what life had to throw at him. Right now everything was perfect.

To be continued…


	11. To the Future

Chapter 11: To the Future

Agatha had set up a camp in the middle of the woods, having been driven from her new hideout by the Dragon Riders. The sound of flapping wings could be heard overhead and Agatha emerged from her tent and looked up, expecting it to be Fireclaw, come to badger her with more of his personal problems. Instead, to Agatha's surprise and horror, a green dragon descended and landed on the forest floor right in the middle of her camp. Arion climbed down off Cadius's back and faced Agatha, staring at the woman who had caused his friends so much pain. He knew that Agatha would now face justice for what she had done.

Agatha scowled, "So, Fletcher and Tamura lack the guts to face me themselves so they sent you? How pathetic!"

Arion snapped, "They haven't one more minute to waste worrying about you, Agatha!"

"Look around you, Dragon Rider. You are surrounded and outnumbered. You cannot possibly expect to win!" Agatha shouted as her men surrounded Cadius and Arion.

Some of the men were armed with crossbows and others with swords. All at once the men charged the elf and dragon. It proved to be a costly mistake. Cadius retaliated y letting loose a jet of flame upon the men, incinerating most of them. A few fired their crossbows at the dragon but the arrows simply bounce off his tough hide. The green dragon whipped his tail around and slammed several more of Agatha's men aside with bone crushing force. Arion drew his emerald green sword and quickly slew two more of Agatha's grunts who were foolish enough to confront him. The rest turned and fled, leaving Agatha alone.

The elf glared at Agatha angrily. "I will give you one final chance to surrender. Justice will be served, Agatha, for Fletcher and his family! I know that the names Windstrider, Elees, Tas, and Mirriana might not mean anything to you, but they meant a lot to Fletcher and they mean a lot to me as well!"

Agatha glared at him again. "You actually care for those pathetic gryphons, Dragon Rider?"

Cadius growled, _Anyone who would harm such majestic creatures does not deserve to live!_

Agatha drew her sword cane. "I will never surrender to the likes of you!"

She dashed toward Arion but in a flash of his enchanted Rider sword, the elf shattered the sword cane and plunged his blade into Agatha's chest. Agatha stood there for a second, shock and pain evident on her face. Then she collapsed to the ground. Arion sheathed his sword and turned to his dragon.

_I am not sorry she is dead!_ Cadius snorted.

"Nor am I. I offered her a chance to live and she refused it. Fletcher and Tamura will never have to worry about her again though. Now they may live in peace."

_Do not forget about Fireclaw, Arion._

"I do not think Fireclaw will be a problem." The elf said to his dragon. "He relied heavily on Agatha's support. Without her, he will have a hard time keeping his organization afloat. Besides, we know where his base is located now. It is only a matter of time before the Riders in Danthuania take care of him."

The green dragon nodded his head. _Very well. Let us go and deliver the good news to our friends then._

.

.

.

Evening fell over the city of Illirea and Fletcher found himself once again babysitting his children while Tamura hunted for their dinner. Fletcher felt like the luckiest gryphon in the world as he played with his children. Little Tas squirmed about as Fletcher groomed the hatchling's feathers and fur. No sooner had he finished preening Tas, Fletcher felt something batting at his tail and turned his head to see Anita playing with the feathers on the tip of his tail. He smiled and released Tas.

"Come here, you little trouble maker!" he said teasingly as he scooped up Anita in his forepaw and began to groom her just as his own mother had once done with him. Anita struggled and squawked as Fletcher cleaned her feathers and fur. Tas watched curiously, looking at his father with icy blue eyes as he finished preening Anita. Fletcher set Anita down on the floor and almost immediately Tas screeched and pounced upon her. The two hatchlings wrestled and squabbled on the floor. Fletcher allowed them to have their fun for a few minutes before stepping between them.

"Alright, little ones, that's enough." He said, looking down at them.

Once it seemed that the two gryphonlings had calmed down, Fletcher lied down on the floor and stretched out. Anita leaped onto Fletcher's side and grabbed hold of his ear, tugging on it. Fletcher picked her up and rolled onto his back, placing her on his chest. Not wanting to be left out, Tas ran over and jumped onto Fletcher's chest as well, worming his way under his father's forepaws alongside his sister. Fletcher felt that familiar warmth in his chest as he looked at the two fluffy, bright-eyed hatchlings that stared back at him. Anita had inherited her mother's fiery spirit and brute strength, but she had the same gentle, golden-amber eyes as her father. Tas was the more gentle of the two but he too seemed to have some of Tamura's fierceness in him, as well as her gorgeous blue eyes. Fletcher lovingly nuzzled his two hatchlings with his beak and they purred happily, snuggling against his neck.

Fletcher heard wing beats approaching and seconds later, Tamura flew in through the opening in the side of the building and landed, clutching what was left of a deer in her beak. She set it down and Tas and Anita immediately leaped off their father and bounded over to the deer corps, twittering excitedly. The gryphonlings eagerly dug in and Tamura smiled, her eyes gleaming with pride as she watched her children. She was a proud mother and was enjoying every minute of it.

"I take it they are behaving themselves?" she asked, looking at her mate.

Fletcher rolled over and got to his feet. "Well, I suppose they're behaving like normal hatchlings. I know that my brother and I were quite rambunctious when we were little."

It did not take long for Tas and Anita to finish their meal and then the two hatchlings went right back to roughhousing.

Mirriana entered the room and charged in, joining in the fray. Mirriana enjoyed having new playmates and she loved her new niece and nephew. It felt odd when she thought about being an aunt but Mir enjoyed it nonetheless. She was considerably larger than the hatchlings so she had to use caution when playing with them. Mirriana was about the size of a large dog now. Her feathers were a rich dark color that matched Windstrider's dark coloring while her fur was light tan like her mother. Mirriana sat patiently while Fletcher and Tamura ate their fill, leaving her plenty of meat to finish off.

Suddenly Cadius flew into the room and landed and Arion climbed down from the saddle.

"Greetings, my friends!" the elf smiled warmly.

Mirriana bounded up to her friend and rubbed against his side gently. Arion gently scratched her behind the ear and Mir purred happily. Fletcher and Tamura both stood in front of the elf, eager to hear what he had to say.

"Agatha will trouble you no longer, Fletcher. I saw to it personally."

"She's dead?" Fletcher asked.

"I did not intend to kill her but she left me no choice." Arion explained. "Nevertheless, you no longer have to fear anything from her. Soon we will deal with Fireclaw as well."

Tamura stepped forward. "Thank you for what you have done for us, Dragon Rider. It seems I was wrong about you."

Arion turned his attention to Tas and Anita and then looked back at their parents.

"You have beautiful children. Take good care of them and treasure every moment you spend with them."

"Thank you." Fletcher nodded, the pride for his new family swelling within him. "I will do just that."

Cadius looked down at him. _It is difficult to believe that you are the same little gryphon that I gave a ride to so long ago. You have come a long way, young Fletcher. I believe you and your new family are destined for great things._

The gryphon nodded. "Thank you, my friend."

Arion knelt beside Mirriana and kissed her on the forehead. "I have never told you this before, Mir, but you are the closest thing I have ever had to a child. Caring for you has brought me much joy."

"Thank you, Arion." Mirriana replied softly, placing her head across the elf's shoulder.

Arion stood up and said to the gryphons, "I bid you all a good night. Take care."

He climbed back into Cadius's saddle and the dragon took off into the night sky, heading for home.

Fletcher and Tamura looked at one another and smiled.

"The spirits of your parents and your brother will rest soundly tonight, Fletcher." the female gryphon said.

Fletcher nodded. "I will rest soundly tonight as well. It is getting rather late."

The two gryphons curled up on the big padded dais in the center of the room. The sun had gone down and Fletcher was tired from spending all day caring for his children. Mirriana gently picked up Tas by the nape of the neck with her beak and carried him over to where Fletcher and Tamura now lay curled up on the floor. Anita bounded over to the dais and leaped onto it, curling up between her mother's front feet while Mirriana set Tas down next to his sister.

Tamura smiled at her children and laid her head down over them to keep them warm.

"Well done, Mir." She said to Mirriana.

Mir smiled back, curling up next to Fletcher. Fletcher nuzzled his sister and whispered, "Good night, Mir."

He laid his head down across Tamura's neck and covered her with one wing as usual, holding her close to him. Tas and Anita had already drifted off to sleepand Fletcher smiled warmly as he looked upon his children. They still had a long way to go and Fletcher looked forward to teaching them and watching them grow. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Tamura felt the loving warmth in her heart as she laid there surrounded by everyone she loved. She looked forward to raising her hatchlings, teaching them to talk, to hunt, and to see them fly for the first time. It pained Tamura to think about her own parents and how they never had the chance to experience such things. She silently vowed to not allow her children to have to go through what she did.

Tamura knew that Fireclaw was still out there but she felt that he was no longer an immediate threat. She was so happy that she had a wonderful family now. She glanced over at her mate who was sleeping peacefully beside her and smiled, closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep as well, dreaming of the future that lay ahead for them now.

The end.

**Author's End Note: Sorry to wrap this up so suddenly but I thought this was a good place to end it. I actually do have plans for a sequel though. In the mean time I have another project I want to work on. I hope you all enjoyed reading this story as much as I did writing it. **

**:Performs Vulcan solute: Live long and prosper.**


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